Cyan
by Judge-Douglas-Mason
Summary: A new face with a history in town piques both Grissom and Brass's interests. Who will win out?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were, but they're not. Que Sera Sera. 

Cyan

----------------------------

8:pm, Monday

You can tell a lot about someone by their car; Jim Brass was a firm believer in this, and by the looks of the car that occupied his parking spot, this person was all over the place; literally. Picture this: a blue 1991 Toyota Camry with, from top to tails; on the rear view mirror, Tibetan prayer beads, a set of police issue hand cuffs and a miniature disco ball. In the rear window, there was a Chicago Cubs batting helmet and a copy of the Complete and Annotated Works of William Shakespeare. On the rear window, bumper stickers that read; clockwise: "Dirt Worshipping Tree Hugger", US Army Reserves, Honour Diversity with a rainbow back and right dead centre above the break light, a nice sized sticker that read: "Give Blood, Play Ice Hockey". When Jim first saw the car, he was fuming, but after reading the stickers that ended with the blood donation, he thought that this person couldn't be all bad; just new.

He huffed as he entered the lab and as he made his way to Grissom's office, he noticed the light was on. Knocking on the glass of his door, Brass smiled when Gil told him to enter. Stepping inside, Brass heard that Gil was not alone. He could hear someone, but he couldn't see them, so as he sat down in the chair opposite Grissom's desk, he craned his neck to try and catch a look at Gil's visitor.

"I think you'll have better luck with your stuff if you alphabetize; everything. From Mrs. Piggy to Eleanor over there. You can do it by the entire shelving unit or shelf by shelf. Which would you like?"

Looking up and scratching his head, Gil responded.

"Whichever you think best fits."

His eyes wide and disbelieving what he had just heard, Jim gawked at Gil. After a few moments, he regained his brain and piped in.

"You're letting someone rearrange your stuff? This must be love"  
"Not love; a personal assistant. Apparently, management thinks I'm disorganized." Gil said, chuckling

"Oh, am I disturbing anything?"

The voice was kind of low pitched, but unmistakably female. As Jim turned around, that's when he saw her. She was tall, lean and by the looks of things, very fit. Her attire left something to be desired, but by the sound of things, she was all business. Tucked under a Chicago Cubs baseball cap were some of the curliest brown locks that either of them had ever seen. Her skin was a lovely shade of bronze, her eyes were like emeralds and her lopsided smile was like eye candy. Looking her over from head to toe, Jim took in her tan fatigue shorts and her "Superman" t-shirt. Her right ear was double pierced on the upper cartilage but her left ear was bare. All in all, she was attractive, but it puzzled Jim how this woman, that was at least 30 or so could come off as someone much younger; in appearance, at least.

Standing in between Jim and Gil, ADD looked to Grissom and reissued her previous question.

"I could leave and take care of some of these things you want done." she said, looking down at a slip of paper

"No, that's fine. Let me introduce you to Captain Brass. Jim, this is ADD" Gil said softly

Standing and offering his hand to her, ADD took it.

"Wow, that's some handshake you've got there, ADD." Jim said, retracting his hand and flexing his fingers

"Its A.D.D." she corrected

"What's that stand for?" he asked

"Attention Deficit Disorder. When I was younger, I was told that I was a bit hyper, so the name stuck." she explained

"That's cute." Jim said, smiling

"So, what brings you to my office this early?" Gil asked Jim

"Oh, some ass just parked in my spot. I swear, sometimes I wonder what these people are thinking or if they are at all"  
Jim huffed

Turning to Jim, ADD turned a bit red and swallowed hard.

"What kind of car is it?" she asked

"Camry, 91, medium blue." he replied

"Oh, damn, that's me." she said, snatching her keys from Gil's desk

Holding her hand out to Jim, ADD looked at him. Turning to Gil, Jim raised an eyebrow. Seeing that Jim had no idea what was going on, ADD spoke up.

"Give me your keys and I'll park your car for you"  
"That's cool, I'll do it later." Jim said "Its no trouble, after all, its my fault you had to park on the other end of the lot." she said, wiggling her fingers

Jim looked to Gil as if to ask for his approval, but all Gil did was look at an open copy of "Bugs Of North America"

"Come on. What, you think I'm gonna run off with your wheels?" she asked playfully

Reaching in his pocket, Jim pulled out his keys and handed them to ADD. Looking at the keys, she amazed him.

"Buick, and by the way you're dressed, its most likely the luxury edition which is the Park Avenue. Its either black or dark grey, no?" she asked

"How'd she do that? How'd you do that?" Jim asked, befuddled, looking from ADD to Grissom and back

"Ah, well, a gentleman never asks and a lady never tells. Ta ta." she quipped

As ADD went to the lot, Brass questioned Gil.

"Where did you find her? She's precious"  
"She comes highly recommended. A bit eccentric, but very work minded." Gil replied

"Eccentric, her? No." Jim said, joking

"Well, she's the perfect assistant. She's got this place looking like an office and not like the paper recycling heap at the landfill." Gil answered back

"She's great; kind of like Sara, in that she's an insomniac and has a very good work ethic." Gil explained

"Are you sure you need two sleepless beauties on your staff? Besides, what sort of name is ADD"  
"Why, you know something I don't?" Grissom continued

"She's fine, and really sort of fun. She's got a very diversified palette and knows a lot about just about everything; she's a great conversational companion."

Moments later, ADD returned to Gil's office, keys in hand. Tossing Jim his keys, he almost dropped them, as they slipped through his fingers, bounced off his broad chest and slid into the breast pocket of his suit. Returning to her duties, ADD called out to Jim.

"Oh, and I set the clock in your car; it was off by a lot. And I also took care of the door ajar light"  
"How'd you do that? I mean, fix the light." he asked

"Nothing, really, the sensor stump was just a bit stuck, so I took some graphite dust that I had from fixing my bike this morning, and dusted the sensor stem. I just had to press it in a few times and viola, its fixed." she explained

"Thanks." he replied

"No problem. Again, I apologize for parking in your spot." she offered

Minutes later, Jim left and went to his office to check his mail before the start of shift. Seated behind his desk and scrolling through his messages, he was deep in thought as the rest of the team filed in for the evening's cases.

In the break room, Nick, Warrick and Sara were seated around the conference table sipping their coffee when Grissom and ADD walked in. Greg and Catherine, who had been sitting on the couch, stood and walked over to the table to sit with their colleagues. Gesturing to ADD, Grissom introduced her.

"Guys, this is ADD; she's my new personal assistant."

A bit confused, everyone turned their heads to look at the young woman that stood beside Gil, and as they took in her form,  
Greg stood and offered his hand in greeting.

"I'm Greg Sanders"  
"Pleasure to meet you, Greg." she replied

The slips were handed out and as everyone left the room to head out Gil went to the coffee machine. Mug in hand, filled with coffee, he looked around and growled. From her place by the door, talking to Greg, ADD called to him.

"There isn't any left, but there's some powder in the cabinet"  
Opening the cabinet doors, Grissom saw the powdered creamer staring him in the face.

"Thanks ADD"

Back in Grissom's office, he was tearing the place apart looking for his keys and as ADD entered, his eyes widened. Seeing that Grissom was in a right state, ADD inquired as to his malady.

"I can't find my keys." he growled

"Where was the last place you saw them"  
"Right over here by the phone." he replied

Just then, Jim came in and stood by the door, arms folded across his chest.

"What's up? What's this?" he asked

"ADD's gonna find my keys." Gil said, smiling

Placing her hand on Grissom's desk, she closed her eyes and listened hard. Seeing this, Brass scoffed and at this, ADD opened her eyes and glared at Jim. Checking himself, he apologized and covered his mouth with his hand in an effort to stifle his laughter. Jim thought this was a crock of bull, so he watched her suspiciously. Moments later, she opened her eyes and walked around Grissom's desk to his chair. Hanging from the back of the chair was Gil's coat and as she slipped her hand into the right pocket, she pulled out his keys, dangling them in front of Brass, smiling.

"That was very cool." Gil said, taking his keys

"Yeah, well, its a gift." ADD replied

As the night wore on, ADD ran errands for Gil and when shift was over, she grabbed up her keys and made her way to the parking lot. On her way out, she ran into Brass, who was busy inspecting his driver's side door. Seeing this, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the tube of graphite dust.

"Catch."

Whipping his head around, Jim saw ADD and extended his hand, catching the tube of dry lubricant. Looking it over, he stood up and face her. Smiling, he thanked her. Watching as she walked across the lot to her car, Jim thought that this woman could, quite possibly, turn the lab upside down.

8:pm, Tuesday

Driving down the street on his way to the lab, Jim could not help but notice someone on Rollerblades, holding a hockey stick,  
training a roller hockey ball, doing some tricks by grinding railings and concrete ledges, as well as hopping low lying shrubberies and garbage cans. Sitting at a red light a few blocks from the lab, he trained his focus on this wheeled gymnast. In particular, he noticed their shirt, that read "Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut". He grinned and laughed, wondering where he could get a shirt like that for himself. He watched as they skated towards the lab and as a car approached the entrance, the skater ducked down, pocketed their ball and grabbed hold of the bumper, hitching a ride into the lot. The light turned green and Jim passed through the intersection and into the lab lot. As soon as the car in front of him turned left, the skater let go and skated up the concrete walkway. Just as Jim pulled into his spot, this mysterious skater hopped the railing, shouted "Woo Hoo" and landed back on the ground. Slowing down for the automatic doors, they skated into the lab and Jim thought to himself that this person was an accident waiting to happen, in that Rollerblading was not exactly the best mode of transportation indoors.

Parking his car and jumping out, Jim rushed inside, looking for the nutty athlete. Walking past Grissom's office, Jim noticed the hockey stick leaning by the door. Poking his head in, he looked around. Hearing the bearings of the skates, Jim walked around to the shelving units to see ADD busy organizing Gil's file cabinets. Clearing his throat, Jim made his presence known.  
Turning her head to see Jim, ADD smiled.

"Your spot was free this evening, I trust"  
"Yeah, it was. Thanks." he replied "Good."

Going back to her business, she growled her frustration.

"What's the matter?" Jim asked

"Oh, its just this twisted way of filing; it really needs revamping." she replied

"Yeah, well, he's a stacker. Just drops things on his desk and they turn into piles"  
"Yeah, I know what a stacker is." she replied, grinning

Emptying the top most drawer, ADD set the files on Grissom's desk and began organizing them in chronological order, followed by alphabetizing them. Jim watched as this young woman made quick work of Gil's haphazardly stowed files. Sitting in Gil's chair and not bothering to take her skates off, ADD looked up as Jim yawned.

"You tired" she asked "No, not really"  
"Your skating ability not withstanding, I think the skates are a bad idea inside the lab." he asserted

"For you, my dear Captain, anything." she said, sitting down on the couch

Taking off her skates and standing in her stocking feet, ADD looked at Jim, and tucked them under the couch. Following her closely with his eyes, Jim marveled at her beautiful muscular legs; surely this woman worked out on a regular basis. Slipping into a pair of sandals, ADD stood and resumed her duties.

Half an hour later, Grissom strolled into the office and seeing the file folders on his desk, he called out to ADD. Coming from behind the front most shelving unit, she grinned.

"I've organized them by month and year, and then again by name. The guide is there, under your blotter. Its a very simple system, but you've got to keep up with it. Remember to always put the file back where you got it from, or the system will be negated." she explained

"How long have you been in?" he asked

"Oh, only an hour or so. Why"  
"Well, you've got to be the most efficient assistant I've ever had." he said, smiling

"Thanks, but it comes naturally to me, you should see my house; a place for everything and everything in its place" she quipped

"Very true." he replied, looking down at the slips for the evening

There had to be at least four of them, and by the look on his face, Grissom was none too pleased. Looking over at ADD, he huffed. Hearing Gil stress, ADD asked him if she could help.

"What's wrong, Boss"  
"Oh, just that its going to be a mess tonight, that's all." he replied

"Well, I'm almost done with these files, so if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know." she offered

"Well, I really can't think of anything right now, but that's not to say that I won't come up with something later" he said softly

While Grissom and company were in the break room going over the slips, ADD stayed in the office, continuing to organize Grissom's disorganized life in the form of papers, files and lastly, the mounting piles of old evidence and case files that had taken up residence in a 55 gallon Rubbermaid tub next to his desk. Tipping the bin over and spilling its contents onto the floor, she sat down, Indian style, and sifted through the business. In the middle of an old file regarding a mass suicide, a knock came to the door. Looking up, ADD smiled wide.

"What can I do for you, Captain"  
"Well, for starters, you can call me Jim. Secondly, you can tell me how this came to be in my office." he said, holding up a tattered case file

"Oh, that, well, I went through it and noticed that no one signed off on it." she explained, pointing to the blank signature line

Leaving him an out, which is to say that she suggested the oversight as opposed to flat out telling him that he didn't do his job, ADD handed him a pen and waited patiently while he signed the document. Having signed the form and handed it back to ADD, Jim looked down at his watch.

"Hey, its lunch time. You want to grab something to eat? There's a cute little diner across the way." he said, pointing to nowhere in particular

"Sure, just let me leave Mr. Grissom my pager number and a note." she said, scribbling on a sheet of paper

Just as ADD and Jim were about to exit the building ADD's cell phone went off. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled it out and answered.

"Cyan, here."

Hearing the strange name, Jim raised an eyebrow, which was met with a threatening gesture from ADD and the mouthing of "You tell, you die". Jim could tell what message she was trying to convey and he gestured a zipped mouth and throwing away of a key. ADD smiled and returned to the caller.

"Ok, I understand your frustration at his non-compliance. But tell me, how do you feel; exactly?" she asked in calm tones

Jim could not help but think that she sounded like a shrink, in that her tones were even and her choice of words were carefully arrived at. Raising his arm and tapping his watch, Jim made a quick footed movement to the doors. Realizing that this conversation was going to take a while, out of habit, ADD signed to him.

"This'll be a while. Can I get a rain check?

Recognizing it as ASL, but not having any clue as to what was said, Jim just said he'd give her a rain check. Smirking and signing, she said that she had asked him as much. Still oblivious to what she was saying, he grinned.

"I'll bring you something back."

Going back to her conversation on the phone, ADD retreated to Gil's office and closed the door behind her. Sitting on the couch, she looked up when she heard the door knob rattling. In stepped Grissom, files in hand. Looking over at ADD, he asked why the door was closed.

"I'm counseling.

Surprised that she knew ASL, Grissom smiled and signed back.

G-"Do you need privacy?  
C-"No, that's cool. I'm almost done"  
G-"Ok. Have you taken your meal break yet?  
C-"No, I was about to go with Captain Brass when I got the call"  
G-"When you're done, you want to go to the diner"  
C-"Sure."

A smile on his face, Gil sat behind his desk and busied himself with signing off on reports, while he waited for ADD to finish.  
Minutes later, she hung up and pocketed her phone. Lifting a slip of paper from his desk, he read it.

"Is this your beeper number"  
"Yeah, I left it when I was with Captain Brass."

Grissom and ADD walked across the street and when they entered the diner, she saw Jim in the back, seated by himself.  
Approaching him, she motioned to the chair next to him.

"Mind if we join you?" she asked

"Not at all." he said, standing and pulling the chair out for her

"Ahh, chivalry is not dead, I see." she said, chuckling

"Not in my house." Jim replied

Looking over at Jim, Gil just made a disgusted face and then moved on to his menu. Perusing it for anything that might quell his hunger, he settled on a cheeseburger and some fries. ADD, on the other hand, just ordered a coffee and left it at that. While they all waited for their meals, Jim and ADD made small talk.

"So, your call went alright, then?" he asked

"Yeah, it did." she replied, reissuing her warning from earlier with, not words, but gestures

Grissom was oblivious to this as he had his nose buried in a case file, leaving Jim and ADD to themselves. Kicking her sandals off under the table, she crossed her ankles under her chair. Turning to Jim, she smiled.

"So, Captain Brass, what brought you out here to Vegas"  
"What makes you think I'm from somewhere other than here"  
"Well, your accent for one, and your speech patterns for another." she replied

"If you know so much, then where do you think I'm from"  
"The northeast, maybe New York or New Jersey." she theorized

"Very good. You're very perceptive"  
"No, not really. Its just that I'm from Maryland, and as we both know, Maryland is not far from Jersey."

Just then, the waitress came with Jim and Gil's food and ADD's coffee. As she sipped her coffee, she watched Gil pick at his food and Jim devour his meal like a growing child.

Back at the lab, it was just about time to clock out, so ADD slipped into her skates and rolled over to Grissom, who was at his desk. Plopping the last stack of organized files on his desk for his perusal as well as her time card, she waved good bye and rolled out of his office and the building. Skating past Jim on her way out, she waved and then hopped the front railing, putting on a small display for him.

Inside, Jim sat in Grissom's office when he noticed that ADD's hockey stick had been left. Reaching over and taking it in hand,  
he sighed.

"She forgot her stick." he said, rolling it in his hands

"She'll be back." Grissom replied

"You know where she lives? I'll take it to her." Jim offered

Looking at her time card, he grinned.

"She lives over on North Walnut, over by the Air Force Base. Hey, that's a few blocks from you, isn't it?" Grissom asked

"Yeah, I live over on Wendy. That's like, 4 or 5 blocks from me. Thanks, man." Jim said, getting up

Sliding behind the wheel of his car, Jim headed home, well, not his home, but it was in the same direction. Driving down Walnut Rd., Jim noticed Cyan's car in the drive and he pulled in next to it. Getting out and grabbing the stick from the back seat, he suddenly became aware of the loud music coming from the garage. Approaching cautiously, he looked in the window of the garage door and grinned. Inside, Cyan was beating the snot out of a punching bag that was twisting from the impact of her fists and feet. The music was in sharp contrast to the actions inside, near as Jim could tell, it was something by Beethoven. Clearing his throat and knocking on the glass, he raised the stick when Cyan turned to see who it was. Grinning, herself, she jumped up and hit the door switch on the motor near the ceiling. As the door opened upward, Cyan came out and greeted Jim.

"Captain Brass, or is it Detective Brass, or perhaps, Captain Detective Brass?" she asked, chuckling

"Its neither. Its Jim, I already told you that." he replied, handing the stick over

"Oh, thanks. I knew I forgot something." she said, tossing the stick into the corner and returning to her previous workout

Jim walked around the punching bag and held it still while Cyan pounded the life from it. A few backhands and sweep kicks later, she stopped her assault. Letting go the bag, Jim approached her.

"So, what sort of name is Cyan, if I might ask"  
"I have no idea. I never gave much thought to it, actually. I just know that I don't like it." she replied

"I kind of like it. It fits you, I think"  
"How so?" she asked, guzzling some Gatorade

"Well, you're different, to say the least, and you've got a certain...well, I'm not sure. But, I like it anyway. Besides, you'd rather be known by a disorder than by a beautifully unique name?" he challenged

"Now, I know you didn't come here to discuss my name with me. Was there something besides delivering my stick that you wanted to discuss? Perhaps, a little display of deduction, if not psychic ability?"

"Oh, yeah, how did you do that, I mean, finding Gil's keys"  
"I merely did a visual sweep of the immediate area, closed my eyes and focused on the possibilities." she explained

"So, you're not psychic, then"  
"No, I'm just perceptive." she said, picking up a skateboard and walking around the back of the house

Jim followed her and when they hit the back, he was stunned. Beautifully built and covered with stickers of every sort, was a large half-pipe. Cyan set her board down and kicked off, rolling from one end to the other, grinding the rail and grabbing some serious air in the process. He was a bit stunned that she was able to carry on a conversation and do all those tricks at the same time, but then, this was the woman that organized Grissom; if she could do that, she could do anything.

"You wanna give it a go, Captain?" she asked, spinning in mid air

"No, I think I'll just live vicariously through you. Besides, I'm more for ice hockey than for mid air physics defying stunts"  
he said, watching Cyan do her thing

Standing at the top of the ramp, she looked down at her watch.

"Shit, I've got to go to the market. Greg's coming over in a couple of hours." she said, hurriedly

"Lab Rat, Greg?" Jim asked, surprised

"Yeah, I told him about my half pipe and we're gonna bbq. Why, you wanna join us?" she asked

"I think I'll pass." he replied

"Your loss." she said, slipping into a t-shirt

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Drink it!!!"

Two people stood in a dark, vacant house; one, the owner, and the other, the invader. Having come, bearing their implements of annihilation, one stood solid, while the other hit the floor, convulsing violently. Looking down upon the victim, the lone survivor, we'll call them Freddie, wiped the glass clean and placing it in the large duffle bag that they carried. Making a cursory sweep of the area, they pulled a mini dust-vac from their bag and vacuumed the immediate area clean and free of any and all evidence that may have been inadvertently deposited. Setting the large pack down on the floor, this crafty bugger pulled out a sort of mini ALS and swept the area once more, making sure that nothing stayed behind. Kneeling on the floor, Freddie did a horizontal anomaly check and smiled when nothing came up. Wrapping the cord and placing the ALS back in the pack, Freddie zipped up, drew the blinds and left the house.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

8:pm

ADD finished up her organizational duties and set an instruction sheet on Grissom's desk in plain view. She was just about to leave when she heard a knock at the door. Looking up and over, she smiled when she saw Jim.

"What brings you in so early, Captain Brass"  
"I've got some stuff to do before shift. Hey, I though I told you to call me Jim." he replied

"Well, you did, but since this is my last day, I figured it no longer applied"  
"You're done? That was fast, I mean, organizing Grissom in two days; you should be a candidate for sainthood." he quipped

"Oh, nothing as grand as that; just a paycheck will do fine." she replied

Passing Brass in the doorway, ADD couldn't help but notice how wonderful he smelled.

"Drakkar"  
"Yeah. You like it"  
"I love it." she said, leaning in for a nice whiff "

So, where are you off to next?" he asked

"Uh..." she said, looking at a slip of paper in her hand "Sam Braun. It's tax time and he's hired me until he files."

"Wow, that's a task and a half. He owns quite a few casinos. You're going to organize his receipts and expenditures records"  
Jim inquired

"Yeah. Apparently, he heard from someone that I'm really good at what I do. He called me this morning, right after you left"  
she explained

"Well, good news travels fast." he quipped, heading down the hall

His hands sweating slightly and a lump in his throat, Jim followed her. Out in the lot, Jim came running up behind her.

"Hey, hold up a minute." he called

"What's up, Cappie"  
"Ah, Cappie, well, I guess that's one step closer to Jim. I'll take it." he joked

Smiling, she opened her car door.

"Hey, would you be interested in going out some time?" he asked, nervously

"I'm flattered. But, seriously..." she said

"I am serious, I mean, you're smart, witty and have a most pleasing disposition. A gem like you"  
"Jim the gem, I like that. Seriously, you wanna have dinner tonight?" he asked

"Not tonight, as I'm sure Mr. Braun will have a lot for me to do. But maybe another time." she replied

Climbing behind the wheel, ADD turned the key and drove off, leaving Jim to watch as she left him wondering what had gotten into him. He had flirted with members of Gil's staff before, but he'd never actually felt that he might have something in common with one of them. Just his luck, he would meet someone he actually liked, and now they were leaving. But he knew where she lived and where she would be working for the next few months, so her departure was only a temporary setback.

Back inside the lab, Jim met up with Grissom, who had just come in. In his office, he sat at his desk and looked over the instruction sheet that had been left for him. Amazed that it only took two and a half days to organize him, Gil grinned.

"I though it would take more than two days."

"She's efficient, that's for sure." Jim commented

"Well, let me sign this time card and we can get to work." he said, scribbling his signature

Looking down at his slips, Grissom groaned. The stress of having someone in his personal space for the last couple of days had worn hard on him, but now that his assistant was gone, he felt himself longing for intelligent and stimulating conversation. Looking up at Jim, he had a fleeting thought about engaging him in a chat, but the look on Jim's face was like that of a concentrating child, tongue peeking out the side of his mouth and a confused look on his face, as he tied his shoe laces.

"Suspicious circs, like yesterday's." Jim said, approaching Grissom

"Really? Doc is still trying to figure COD on that one"  
"Well, now he's got another one to add to his slab." Jim quipped

Inside the vacant house, the air was stale and still and the unmistakable smell of bowel movement filled the atmosphere.  
Pulling a face mask from his kit, Grissom winced. Kneeling by the body, he took in the scene. The house was empty, like yesterday. The victim was a young adult male, like yesterday, and the physical findings would, no doubt, be the same; tongue bitten through, petechia, hands balled up in white knuckled fists and odd body position, as if he had gone into convulsions. Grissom wrote this down and stood as David walked in. Opening his kit and removing the thermometer, he punctured the liver and read off the temp.

"Ninety Two degrees"  
"So, that would make TOD around three or four hours ago." Grissom replied

"Ok, the scene's all yours." David said, standing up

Watching as the body was placed on a gurney and wheeled out of the house, Grissom could not help but wonder about the proficiency of this new murderer. The previous night they had found nothing at the scene, and I mean nothing; no hairs, no fibres, nothing at all. It was as though the perp had cleaned up after himself. The door knob had been wiped clean as had the floor. There weren't even any tread patterns to lift. Apart from the fact that these people had not been shot and there was no tub in the picture, these cases reminded him of Paul Milander.

Sara and Greg stood at the doorway and watched as Grissom scratched his head. Looking over at them, something dawned on him;  
they were wearing booties. Maybe the murderer wore booties and that was why he had not found any tread prints. Standing up,  
he approached Greg.

"Greg, take your left bootie off and take four steps in here"  
"Um, ok." he replied, doing as he was told

Greg stepped in and took four paces. When he came to stand right in front of Grissom, he stopped.

"Now what do you want me to do?" he asked

"Nothing. Sara, go out to the truck and get the ALS. Greg, stay there."

Sara ran back to the truck and when she came back with the ALS, she handed it over to Grissom and watched as he did his thing.  
Kneeling on the floor, he swept Greg's path with the ALS and grinned. Standing up, he handed the device back to Sara, who set it by the door.

"Either the murderer had no tread on his shoes or he wore booties, like those." he said, pointing to Greg's feet

"So, that makes him, what? A neat freak?" she replied

"Either that or very conscious of his presence. Last night there was nothing but the body and today, we've got the same thing;  
no prints of any kind and a body." he explained

"So, all we've got is someone that leaves no trace whatsoever. Would his name be Merlin?" Greg quipped

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Back at the lab in Doc Robbin's domain, the good doctor was autopsying the body from the previous night when the new addition came in. Taking a blood sample and setting it aside, he looked up from his business and frowned.

"Let me guess, young male, COD undetermined?" he theorized

"Yeah." Sara said

"Well, I sent his prints to the new girl and guess what came up?"

"I give in." she replied

"He's got a record; drugs. He was a dealer."

Turning to the new body, the doctor took some prints and handed the card to Sara, who left the lab and walked down to the print lab.

About two hours later, Grissom had returned from the scene and was greeted with some very good news. As he sat at his desk,  
Sara came running in, nearly knocking Warrick over in the hall.

"Hey, Griss, guess what"  
"I detest games." he replied

"Both vics had records and both of them were known drug dealers. It seems as though someone's doing us favours." she explained

"So, we've got two dead drug dealers and a mystery Samaritan. Well, even though their intentions might be in the right place,  
they're still murdering people." he commented

"Has Doc determined cause of death?"

"Yeah, its...uh..." she said, looking at the sheet of paper in her hand "NaCN"  
"How'd he get his hands on that?" he asked

"Well, he could be in film processing, or paper making or ore extraction. Really, if you know the right people, you can get it anywhere." she explained

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Wednesday 7pm

Walking through the Tangiers Casino, Jim sought out Sam Braun, seeing him over by the roulette tables, he bee lined for him.  
One of the security men approached Sam and alerted him to Jim's presence. Turning to see the pint sized police Captain, Sam grinned that poop eating grin that he saved for the police and crime lab investigators.

"You caught me on an off day; I haven't killed anyone yet." Sam quipped

"Funny; really. No, I'm not here for you, I'm here for ADD." he replied

"Oh, you mean Cyan. She's in her office. I'll call her down for you." Sam said, picking up the house phone

While waiting for ADD to come down, Sam engaged Jim in small talk.

"So, how do you like Cyan? Is she worth what you're paying her"  
"Yeah, if she'd take it, I'd hire her full time. But she strikes me as someone that doesn't like roots." Sam said, winking

"Yeah, I can see that." Jim replied

Just then, Jim saw Cyan coming across the floor. She was a vision; faded blue jeans, ox blood motorcycle boots and a black t-shirt that read "Nut Magnet" on the front and she was without ball cap; her curly brown locks tied back into a sloppy ponytail. The sides and back had been clipped at a short length, but the hair on her crown was long, luxurious and wild with curls. It was a bit on the "different" side, but Jim thought that it suited her and her "young at heart" attitude. Approaching her, Jim smiled.

"Hey, you. You wanna grab something for a snack?" he asked

"Mr. Braun, I'm going to take tiffin. I'll be back in about an hour or so. If something comes up, all you have to do is call my cell." she said, taking Jim's hand

"Ok, hun. Take your time." Sam replied

"Thanks, Mr. Braun." she called behind her

Stepping outside onto the mainway, Jim and Cyan looked around.

"So, where to?" she asked

"How 'bout the promenade? There's games and all sorts of fun food like corn dogs, funnel cake and other stuff." he suggested

"If that's what you want to eat"  
"What did you have in mind"  
"How bout some soup or salad. You know, something with nutritional value."

Heading down the street and settling on a nice little bistro, Jim and Cyan sat at an outside table and watched the masses of people walk by. By the time their meals came, Cyan and Jim were deep in a conversation about the dregs of society and they're preying on the weak and the wounded. Spearing a cherry tomato on his fork, he listened as she prattled on about juvenile delinquency and the poor state of today's youth.

"I swear, all these kids being truant from school to do what, hang out in the park and smoke pot or drink 40's. It just sickens me."

"I understand that. Today's youth has no respect for authority of any kind." he replied

Picking through her salad, she ate nothing, but just rearranged the food on her plate. This was not lost on Jim as he watched her drink her water and have the glass refilled several times, but consumed nothing else. When it came time to pay the bill, Cyan pulled out her wallet and plopped a twenty dollar bill on the table.

Back at the Tangiers casino, Jim watched as Cyan left him and stepped into the lift with Sam. As the lift went up, Jim caught Cyan's goodbye finger twiddle and smiled, twiddling back, himself.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Wednesday 9pm

"Well, we've got another one, Gil." Jim said in an inappropriately cheery tone

"What's up with you? You met someone, didn't you?" Grissom asked, jabbing him in the ribs

"Not really, no. I already knew her." he replied

"So, who is it? No, let me guess, she's a showgirl." Gil mused

"No. Actually, she's about as far from that as you can get." he joked

Inside, the crime scene was an all to familiar sight, in that it was like the scenes from the two previous nights, down to the fact that there was nothing to go on. No foot prints, no fingerprints, no smudges, no nothing. As Grissom watched David escort the body out of the house and to the lab, Grissom growled.

"This really chaps my ass. One the one hand, we're short 2, maybe 3 drug dealers in the world, but on the other hand, who says that this guy will stop with drug dealers? What happens when he's bumped off all the major players in the area, is he gonna move on to another state, and if so, how are we going to catch him?" he ranted

Sara stood by in stunned silence as Gil vented his frustration and she couldn't help but remember the last time he'd acted this way, back when they were searching for that dead woman they found in the water heater. That time he had taken his pulse and it was at 95; Sara wondered what it was at right now.

"Grissom, slow down, remember your blood pressure." she said, approaching him carefully

"Yeah, I know. Its just that I can't help but think that this guy is messing with us. The dead drug dealers are nice and all,  
but is this really worth it"

"NaCN. Just like yesterday." Doc Robbins stated

"Ok, did you run his prints?" Warrick asked

"Yea and yes." Doc replied

"So, that's three dealers in three days. Give him till the end of the month and Vegas will be hard pressed for it's smack"  
Warrick joked


	2. Chapter 2

Thursday 8pm 

The night sky was losing it's light and as Grissom and Sara approached the scene Jim came up to them. A smile on his face and a spring in his step, he virtually bounced down the walkway. Looking at each other and back to Jim, Gil and Sara grinned.

"Let me guess, you had a good morning?" Sara commented

"No, I'm still flying from last night." he replied

"Well, she must be really special." Grissom said, looking to the scene

"Yeah, well, she's unique, that's for sure." Jim stated

"No? Its not ADD, is it?" Sara growled

"Yeah, what of it"  
"Oh, nothing..." she replied

"Ok, enough about Jim's love life, can we get back to the scene?" Grissom snapped

Entering the small apartment, the scene was all too familiar, in that it was exactly like the last three. As Grissom and Sara put on their booties Jim opened the front door and stood to the side as his colleagues passed in front of him. Leaving them to do their thing, Jim waited outside and handled the press, who at this point, had developed their own theories of what happened and who was responsible.

Looking into the crowd of on lookers, he noticed a familiar face. Smiling, he made his way over to the throngs of people that had gathered. Jim had figured that she would be at work right now, but much to his pleasure, he was wrong. Watching her talk to the person next to her, he wondered why she was even here.

"Hey, you." he said, smiling

Turning to see him standing behind her, Cyan gave a broad grin.

"Hey, Mr. Brass. So, is it true, another murder by the same guy?" she asked

"You know I can't answer that. What brings you here"  
"Well, as you know, I live right over there." she said, pointing down the street

"Oh, yeah. So, you do." he replied

"Well, I'd better get back to work. Mr. Braun sent me on some errands. You know, legal pads, index cards, post its and pens" she said, looking at her watch

"Oh, ok. Hey, I'm off on Sunday; how bout' a real date? You know, me in a suit and you in a dress. Maybe some dinner and dancing." Jim asked, a bit nervous

"Sounds good, but if you get to pick dinner, then I get to pick dancing. Fair?." she asked

"Fair. As long as its not a rave; I hate those things. Besides, I'm too old for them." he replied

"You're only as old as you feel. Look at me; I'm 28, but I've got the heart and body of an 18 year old"  
"That you do." he said, trying to push the naughty thoughts from his head

Jim watched as Cyan walked away and climbed into her car. Her last comment left him wondering just how young she did, in fact, feel. Somewhere in his mind he couldn't help but think her last comment about her picking the dance venue was a trap and that they'd end up in some dark basement club, moshing to Metallica, Danzig or Black Sabbath.

Returning his attention to the crime scene, he noticed Sara coming out of the house with a great big grin on her face. Rushing up to her, Jim couldn't help but smile as well.

"What's got you grinning?" he asked

"I could ask you the same question. I saw you chatting her up. You really like her, don't you?" she asked "There's just something about her, I'm not sure what it is, nor can I put my finger on it; she just appeals to me" he explained

"Yeah, you're not the only one"  
"No!?!" he gasped

"One guess." she said, chuckling

Thinking for a moment, Jim tried to figure who else might be smitten with Cyan, when suddenly, it dawned on him.

"Sanders!!" he said, in raised tones

"Give this man a prize." she exclaimed

Not surprised that it was Greg, Jim wondered if she might have more in common with Greg than she would have with him. As he turned the issue over and over in his mind, she realized that she probably wouldn't have accepted his invitation for a date if she wasn't interested in him. Deciding that he would give the issue more thought later, he returned his focus to the job at hand.

"So, I ask you again, what's got you grinning"  
"Oh, Grissom found something; the only thing we've found at these scenes." she said, fishing through the boot of the truck

"Really? What"  
"A calling card of sorts. At least that's what the general consensus is." she replied

Walking back inside, Jim saw what Sara was referring to. On the floor was what looked like tan sand granules and drawn into them was only what Jim could describe as a logo or symbol in the shape of an all seeing eye. Hunkering down beside Grissom, Jim commented.

"So, what do you make of it"  
"It is what it is. It evidently holds some meaning to the perp; all we have to do is figure out what meaning that is, then we'll be one step closer to capturing him." Grissom explained while snapping photos

Friday 9AM

As Jim drove home from work, he was tempted to go by Cyan's place, but thought otherwise about it when he realized that she most likely did not have the same schedule as he did. He could call her, but didn't want to seem desperate, so he just continued on home. As he pulled into his drive he rubbed his eyes and stepped out of his car.

Stripping down to his underclothes, he climbed under the covers and immediately fell to sleep. He slept like a rock until, about four hours later, he was awakened by the sound of sirens from police cars and ambulances. Throwing on a pair of sweats and t-shirt, he jumped into a pair of flip flops and stood out on his front porch. Down the block, at the end of his street, the rescue vehicles had stopped and he could see paramedics and police all over the place.

Waiting inside the tape, his cell phone in hand, Jim called Gil and as the phone rang, he spoke with Ecklie.

"What's going on, Conrad"  
"Oh, it would seem as though Grissom's mystery murderer decided to switch from the nightshift to my shift. I guarantee you we'll catch this guy because it seems that Gil can't." Ecklie boasted

"Well, its not for lack of trying; the guy's left us nothing to go on." Jim explained

Listening to his cell that was still ringing, Jim cursed aloud. Just then, Grissom picked up. In a sleepy voice, he answered.

"Grissom, here"  
"Gil, its Jim. It looks like your mystery killer struck during daylight, so that rules out vampire, at least." Jim joked

"Where's the scene?" Gil asked

"About four houses down from my place." Jim replied "Ok, I'll be right there."

Having overheard the conversation, Ecklie took offense.

"Hey, this is my case; it happened on my watch." he growled

"The originating case happened on night shift; we've got three or four DB's to your one. He's ours." Jim snapped

While waiting for Grissom to show up, Jim absorbed everything he could from this new scene so he could relay the details to Grissom. He wasn't able to go inside the house, but he sweet talked some of Ecklie's people enough to find that no symbol was found. As Jim watched Ecklie leave the scene, he called Grissom again and swore as the line kept ringing and ringing. Finally, when Brass was ready to toss the damned thing, Gil showed up. Jumping out of his truck and virtually running towards Jim, case in hand, Gil pulled his cell out of his jeans pocket and began speed dialing Sara, with the intent of asking her to call the rest of the team in, but there was no answer.

"Gil, are you sure you wanna do this. I mean, its not even your shift." Jim commented

"They'll live, besides, we've got seniority on this case." he explained

"What did you see"  
"Well, everything's the same as the last scene, but no sand and no eyes. You think maybe he's saving the clues for you" Jim asked

"So, it was the same as the first few scenes?" Gil asked

"Yeah, as far as I can tell. Ecklie kept his trap shut, but his people don't exercise the same restraint"  
"Thank God for small favours." Grissom sighed

Back at the lab, Grissom was going through the case files for the previous three nights when he got a call on his cell. Not recognizing the number, he let his voice mail pick up and checked it after a few minutes. Flipping his phone open and dialing his voice mail, he listened to this new message.

"Mr. Grissom, I've left you another present. I'll give you one hint. Are you ready? The total of numbers is 10 and the last four numbers are 4000."

Listening to this message over and over again, Grissom took notes and when he was done, he went to see Archie in the A/V lab. As he was walking down the hall, he ran into Jim, who had decided to forgo sleep for the evening and hang out at the lab.

"Hey, Gil. Whatcha got"  
"A message." he replied

"He wrote you a letter?" Jim asked

"No, he left me a voice mail message." he explained

"Wow, that's either really bold or incredibly stupid." Jim commented

In the A/V lab, Grissom handed his phone to Archie, who made a digital recording of the message for his listening pleasure. Looking up at Grissom, he signaled for him to wait a minute and when he was done listening, he took off his head phones and smiled.

"They're using a voice distortion device..." he said

"What else, Arch?" Grissom prodded

"What sounds like a fountain in the background and it sounds like slot machine bells, too." he said, smiling

"Great, that could be, like, a hundred places" Jim said, confused

Looking down, Grissom consulted his note sheet and did some quick calculations. Scratching his chin and rubbing an open hand across his beard, he grinned. Jim, who had been reading over Gil's shoulder, had an epiphany.

"I've got an idea; follow me." Jim said, taking Gil by the wrist

In Jim's office, he sat at his desk and pulled up the "Scenic Las Vegas" web page. Looking under spots, he took a shot in the dark and landed on a hotel reservation page. Smiling heavily, he turned his lap top around and showed Grissom the monitor.

"If this guy's as smart and bold as he thinks he is, he might try to push his luck. Looking through this list of hotels, The Luxor has the last four digits of 4000. But this could be bad; if he did kill in a public place, he's escalating." Jim said, extending his hand "Gimmie your notes."

Gil handed Jim his notes and as Jim read over them, his smile got bigger and bigger. Slamming the paper down on the desk, he patted himself on the back, literally.

Flying out of Jim's office and rushing down the hall to his own office, Grissom called Catherine and told her what was up. It was her day off and she was ill, so he called Sara. When she picked up, Gil could hear the sleep in her voice and immediately felt bad for waking her up, but since she insisted that it was no big deal, he filled her in.

"You feel like a little trip" He asked

"Um...do I have a choice?" she replied

"Of course, but trips are always more fun with company; Jim's coming, too." he said, voice full of energy

"If you swing by and pick me up, I'm in." she countered

"We'll be there in ten minutes." Gil said, snatching up his coat and motioning to Jim

9pm

At the Luxor hotel and casino, Jim, Gil and Sara entered through the front door and went immediately to the concierge. Setting their kits on the floor at their feet, Sara and Grissom rang the little bell on the counter and waited for someone to come to them. Moments later, a short, plump red headed woman appeared. A broad smile on her face, she greeted them.

"Is there anything I can do for you ?" she asked

Showing their ID's, Grissom, Sara and Jim stated their business and asked to speak with the hotel manager. As the little woman tottled off into a back room, the three of them theorized.

"You don't think that this guy offed someone in the hotel? But if he did, at least there are cameras all over the place. With any luck, he's been caught on security tape." Jim said, feeling rather brilliant

"Yeah, there's lenses all over the place. But at the same time, we have no idea who we're looking for or what they look like, besides which, this place has over 6700 rooms. What are we gonna do, check every one of them?" Sara replied

"We'll have to look at the register and see if anything jumps up at us." Gil commented

Just then, the hotel manager came up and introduced himself. He was a tall and slender man, well groomed and he smelled of Polo cologne. As he extended his hand in greeting, Grissom took it.

"My name is Brad Matthews; hotel manager. How can I help you?"

Showing his ID once more, Gil introduced himself.

"I'm Gil Grissom and I'm with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. We may have a situation in your hotel and I was wondering if we could take a look at your register." he explained

Gesturing for them to follow him, Brad walked behind the desk and into a door right behind. In a small office with no windows, Gil sat across from Brad's desk and waited while the occupancy ledger came up. As Brad moved away from his desk, Grissom sat in his chair. Scrolling through the entire list, Gil came across something curious.

"Aye See, in room number 1444." Gil thought, out loud

"You've got to be kidding me." Jim said, sighing

"Griss, this guy's playing games with us." Sara said, stifling a yawn

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Gil said, picking up his case and heading for the door

Seeing Brad at the service desk, Grissom requested an escort with a room key so that they could view the room. Offering his personal services, Brad showed them to the lift and as they climbed in and rose up, the floor beneath them got farther and farther away. Gil reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, calling David.

Standing in front of room number 1444, Gil stood back as the door was opened. Putting on his laytex gloves and flipping the lights on, they were not wholly surprised to find a dead body on the floor, crumpled like a ball of discarded paper. The room was clean and everything was in it's place, and as Grissom approached the body, he readied his camera. Snapping a few cursory photos, Grissom stood up and looked around. Shining his light, he saw something under the body. So, carefully using his tweezers, he removed the object and placed it in a mini ziplock bag. Handing it to Sara, Grissom continued his sweep.

It was very fortunate that Grissom had been alerted to this new body by the killer, rather than having the police called or anything like that. They had an advantage and could conduct their business without gawkers interfering. Out in the hall, Jim wondered why the killer would do something like call someone and alert them to what has just happened, but hey, as long as there's a few less dealers in the world, things couldn't be all bad.

Seeing David coming down the hall followed by a gurney, Jim wondered why the young man was smiling.

"What's got you smiling?" Jim asked

"We used the freight elevator." he replied

In the suite, David took the liver temp and when he pulled the thermometer, he frowned. Seeing this, Grissom commented.

"What's wrong"  
"Well, this reads 98 degrees. He's been dead for less than an hour." David said

Jumping up, Grissom called to Sara.

"Sara, call Nick and both of you get down to the security room and check the tapes. This guy was here less than an hour ago" he ordered

Continuing to process the scene, Grissom shut off the lights and turned on the ALS. As the blue light bounced off everything in the immediate area, Grissom growled.

"Damn, apart from this all seeing eye, we've got nothing. This is really pissing me off"  
"We only see what this guy wants us to see. He controls the flow of information." David mused

Looking over at the young coroner's assistant, Gil couldn't help but give him an evil look. Seeing this, David recoiled a bit and stood up as the medics took the body and placed it on the gurney. Taking one last photo, Gil placed the cap back on the lens and set the camera on the floor beside his kit.

Saturday 9AM

Exhausted from a very stressful few shifts, Gil was off and Jim was heading back home to a big, warm bed. As Jim drove home, he thought about the down comforter and the flannel sheets that waited for him. Stopping at a 4 way stop sign, he looked around to make sure it was safe to proceed and just as he gassed the engine, he saw Cyan in his rear view mirror and she appeared to be on her skateboard. Recognizing Jim's car, she waved wildly and he rolled his window down, waiting for her to catch up with him. As she came to a stop, he leaned out his window and smiled.

"You skated to the casino"  
"Yeah; its not too far, besides, its a hell of a workout." she replied

"Get in. I'll run you home." he offered

Opening the passenger door and sliding in, Cyan set her board at her feet and buckled herself in. Turning right onto North Walnut , Jim looked around and noticed that Cyan seemed to be a bit preoccupied. She was biting her fingernails and had a pensive look on her face. Sensing that something was wrong, Jim enquired.

"What's wrong"  
"Oh, nothing. Its just that working with Mr. Braun is all well and good, but there's no one to chat with. At least, when I was working for Mr. Grissom, there was good conversation, but over at the casino, there's nothing. I can honestly say that I miss Mr. Grissom and all you wacky guys; I long to discuss something more than the house advantage or coolers, you know" she explained

"Well, I think some of the team misses you, too. Grissom, for one, has been moping around like a kid that just had his favourite toy taken away from him." Jim quipped

"I'm thinking about having some of you guys over for a bbq or something." Turning to Jim and pouting, she continued. "I need input!"

Thinking about the symbolism in her last comment, Jim decided not to voice his thoughts that leaned towards the naughty side. "Yeah, I can give you some input" he thought to himself. Looking to Jim for a response, all Cyan saw was a really big, goofy grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. Although she had not known Jim for that long (less than a week) she did know that she loved his smile; the smile that showed off his prominent canines and the dimples that presented themselves , as well as the laugh lines around his mouth and crow's feet at his eyes; those, she thought, were some of Jim's best features. She also loved his eyes and their brilliant shade of blue. She had day dreamed about his eyes and they way they sparkled when his face lit up.

As they pulled up in front of her house, Cyan invited Jim in for some coffee or tea; to which, he had to decline, reluctantly. As she climbed out of his car, she realized just how tired she was and as Jim waited for her to get inside, she turned and waved to him with a great big yawn.

Saturday 9PM

Cyan sat in her office, going through Sam's ledgers and receipts for the current tax season. As she scribbled down facts and figures, a knock came at the door and as she picked her head up from the stack of papers on her desk, she saw Sam standing in the doorway. Gesturing for him to come in and take a seat, she put him on finger hold while she finished her current calculations. Looking up at him, she smiled.

"You know, Mr. Braun, you've got lots of things you can use as tax deductions. For example, there's your cell phones and computers. As long as you use them for business, you can deduct them. Each of your personal staff has a phone, no" she explained

"Yeah, some of them have two. You mean I can write off my phones, computers and other office stuff? How bout' my limo? I use that for business." he asked

"Well, if I understand correctly, its primarily for personal use, I mean, do you hop in your car just to drive down the street to your other businesses? I don't believe that'll fly. But there are loads of other things you can write off. Your credit cards, as well as some of their recorded purchases. Dinners with clients and incidentals, like flowers, gift baskets, formal wear and other stuff. As long as it goes to clients like high rollers or your business, you can write it all off" she continued

"Damn, I wish I'd had you years back." he stated

"Yeah, well, years back, would you have hired a twenty year old personal assistant?" she asked

"Good point." he replied

Thinking to himself for a moment, Sam thought that he had to have this wonder woman on his staff; no matter the cost. Organizing his thoughts, he smiled. Seeing this, Cyan smiled back.

"What? You've got that look"  
"What would it take to hire you on full time? You'd have your own office, a company car, big fat salary and anything else it would take to make you mine, so to speak." he asked, hopefully

"I'd have to meditate on that one. Normally, I just hang around long enough to do my job and then I move on. This would involve a major commitment on both our parts. Oh, and speaking of commitment, I was going to take tomorrow off; I've got a dinner appointment." she explained

"You've got a date, huh? Is it with a certain police Captain"  
"Yes, it is." she replied "How long have you known him"  
"Only a week, but he's really sweet and fun to spend time with." she stated

"He's a bit old, don't you think?" Sam ventured, cautiously

"He's not old, he's perfect. Men my age are too immature." she said, flatly

"Ok, so finish up here and take the rest of the weekend off." he said, standing up

"Thanks, Mr. Braun"  
"Call me Sam. And you're welcome."

Looking through the diminishing pile of papers on her desk, Cyan sighed and kicked things into overdrive. About four hours later and she was heading out of her office, she got a call on her desk phone. Picking it up, she answered.

"Hello, this is Cyan." she greeted

"Yes, um...I'm trying to reach ADD. Is she available?" the voice asked

Recognizing the voice as Grissom's, Cyan played like it was someone else that had picked up and said that she would get ADD. Cupping her hand over the mouth piece for a few seconds, she came back on.

"This is ADD. To whom am I speaking?" she asked, knowing full well who it was

"This is Gil Grissom." he replied "Oh, hi, Mr. Grissom. What's up"  
"I was just wondering if you had some free time. I want to show you something I think you'll love"  
"Sure. You've got impeccable timing. I was just about to leave for the weekend." she replied

"You're going out of town?" he asked

"No, just taking the rest of the weekend off, that's all." she explained

"Ok, I'll meet you at home in about twenty minutes. Is that ok"  
"Sure. What's the dress code?" she asked, jokingly

"Warm jacket, pants and boots. Oh, and bring a flashlight, too." he said in flat tones

"Ok, will do. See you in a bit, then." she said, hanging up

At home, Cyan waited for Grissom to come by but unbeknownst to her, Jim was just returning from the market and driving down her street on his way home. Stopping at a stop sign, Jim watched as a truck pulled in front of him and drove down the road, stopping in front of Cyan's house. Staying at the cross street, he watched as Cyan came out of her house and climbed into the truck. Once she had climbed in, he passed through the intersection and drove by Cyan's house, taking a glance at the tag on the truck. He immediately recognized it as Grissom's and he wondered what Gil was doing there at this time of night. Tempted to follow them, but at the same time, really tired, Jim thought no more of it and carried on his way home.

In Grissom's truck, they drove out of town to the outskirts and after about ten minutes past that, they pulled onto a pea gravel road that ended with a metal gate. Parking and getting out, Cyan and Grissom turned their flashlights on and as she looked around, Grissom went to the boot of the truck and pulled out a backpack. Turning to Cyan, he smiled.

"Do you creep out easily?" he asked, cautiously

"No, not really, no. I used to watch "Faces of Death" during supper." she replied

"Then this will be a cake walk. You got your light ready"  
"Yup." she said, lighting the gravel path

They passed under the gate and down the gravel path to a dirt path. As they entered a wood, Gil spoke up.

"This is what's known as "The Body Farm" Its how we research and conduct controlled studies in animal and human decomposition. Its cold out, so the smell shouldn't be too bad, and there will be lots of carcasses around, so don't wander off" he explained

Seeing the twinkle in his eyes and the look of wonder on his face, Cyan chuckled.

"Is this where you take all your female friends when you go out?" she asked

"Well, no. Actually, you're only the fourth person I've ever brought here...in a non work capacity, that is." he replied

"Well, I'm flattered."

As they traveled through the woods, Grissom pointed out his favourite part; the partial burial. Kneeling down and shining his light on the half buried corpse, Cyan came up beside him, shining her light as well. The look on his face was one of wonderment and awe. She couldn't help but think that he looked like a kid on Christmas morning as he ooed and ahhed about the bugs and other critters that had obviously been at this particular body, leaving their marks. Shining his light on the rib cage, he explained.

"See these, here,..." he said, focusing his beam "They're small carnivore teeth marks; most likely a coyote or badger."

"It looks like the leftovers of a smorgasbord. What about vultures or other carrion birds?" she asked

"Very good question. We've got those, too, but they're usually present in the daylight hours." he replied

Hours later and having examined several bodies, when they were set to go, Cyan pulled out a little camera. The moon was bright and the stars were dotting the sky as Grissom returned his pack to the truck. Turning to climb in, he stopped when he saw Cyan with her camera.

"Smile for the Carpet Beetle," she said, chuckling

"For the Carpet Beetle, huh?" he asked, mugging for the camera

Having taken a couple of photos of him, Cyan placed the camera on the hood of the truck and set the timer. Rushing over to his side, she smiled wide and made rabbit ears behind Grissom's head. Both of them mugged for a couple more photos and when they were done, Cyan collected her camera and slipped it into her pocket.

Back at home, it was around 05:00hrs when she finally crawled under the covers and passed out. Her dreams that night were bizarre, to say the least, and as the sun came up in the new morning sky, the tweety birds sang loudly. She was in a deep sleep when her cell phone rang around 10:00hrs. Rolling over and reaching blindly for her phone, she switched it on, but accidentally knocked it to the floor. The caller could hear her curses as she crawled out of her flannel cocoon and retrieved her phone from the floor.

"Cyan, here"  
"Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you"  
"Cappie?" she asked, sleep in her voice

"Yeah. You want me to call you back later?" he asked

"What time is it?"

"Its around 10:00." he replied

"Can you call me back in about two or three hours?"

"Would that be a wake up call?" he joked

"You didn't tell me you were psychic, Cappie." she joked back

"I'm not; I'm just observant. 13:00hrs it is, then. Sleep well." he said, looking at his watch

Going back to sleep, Cyan dreamed sweet dreams of Jim Brass and all the wonderfully naughty things they could do, if left alone for too long.

Pulling into her drive, Jim climbed out of his car and grabbed a grocery bag from his back seat. Walking up the stone path to her front door, he rang the door bell and smiled when he heard the tune playing inside; the synthesizer opening from Lips Inc.'s "Funky Town".

Inside, Cyan was just opening her eyes and when she looked at the clock, she realized that it wasn't Jim calling to wake her, but him actually there to physically wake her. A sleepy smile on her face, she grabbed a t-shirt from the foot end of the bed and slipped into it. Padding down the hall, she heard a knock on the door. Opening it slightly, she saw Jim and opened it further. Her eyes still full of sleep and her mind not quite awake, she said the first thing that popped into her head, then walked through the living room, leaving the door wide open.

"You beautiful, magnificent bastard."

A bit stunned by her choice of words, Jim smirked and entered.

"Well, that's a different sort of greeting." he said, chuckling

Crossing through to the living room and climbing on the couch, she pulled the wool throw off the back and crawled under it, pulling it up over her head. Jim couldn't help but be amused by this little display of semi-childish behaviour, as he entered the kitchen and started the coffee. Finding two mugs and setting them on the counter, Jim emptied the contents of the grocery bag on the counter.

Looking over at Cyan, who was still hibernating on the couch, he grinned as he approached her. Sliding the copies of National Geographic and Thrasher to the side, Jim sat on the edge of the table. Resting his elbows on his knees, he leaned forward a bit.

"Um...are you gonna eat any of this?" he asked, motioning to the food on the counter

Reaching a hand out from under the blanket, she signed "no". This, Jim understood, so he got up and put everything in the fridge. Returning with a mug of coffee in hand, he set it on the table and pulled the blanket back a bit; just enough to see her lovely eyes. Opening her eyes, she gazed right into Jim's ocular smile and gave a lopsided grin.

"Tell you what, I'll go back home and you call me when you're awake." he offered

Not saying anything, but just giving a thumbs up, she watched, in a haze, as Jim left and closed the front door behind himself. Before she fell back to sleep, she couldn't help but think that this was a very considerate man; coming over and bringing food and all. Part of her felt bad for sending him away, but for the first time in weeks, she was actually sleeping, and this was something she really needed.

It was around 17:00hrs by the time she woke next and as soon as she got up, she called Jim at home. Yawning while her phone rang, she walked to the coffee machine and poured herself a fresh mug. Finally, Jim picked up.

"Cappie"  
"Hey, she wakes." he joked

"Yeah, sorry about this morning. I had a late night. Mr. Grissom kidnapped me and took me to the body farm. He's a rare bird" she explained

"Yeah, well, that's all part of the Grissom mystique." Jim said, chuckling

"I'm going to shower and dress. Come over if you like. I'll leave the door unlocked." she said, yawning

"Ok, I'll be over in a few." he replied

Hanging up and heading for the shower, she ran the water and watched as the steam filled the room and formed condensation on the bathroom mirror. Stripping out of her sleep clothes and climbing into the shower, she groaned as the water cascaded off her back and ran through her hair. The smell of almonds filled the air as she washed her hair and rinsed the shampoo from it.

A few minutes later, when she had finished her shower, she wrapped a towel tightly around her chest and padded into the bedroom. She was in the middle of getting dressed when she heard the front door opening. The sound of Jim's footsteps echoed off the hardwood floors of the house and as they stopped, she peeked out of her room and saw him on the couch, remote in hand, flipping through the cable channels.

In her room, she selected a slinky little number for her underclothes and black cotton lycra for her bustenhalter. Slipping into some faded jeans and a t-shirt that read: Foxy Boxer on the front. Tying the laces of her boots, she looked in the mirror of her wardrobe and smiled.

In the living room, Jim was watching something about astronomy when Cyan plopped down on the couch next to him. Rubbing her hands together, she grinned.

"So, what do you wanna do now?" she asked

Looking over at her, Jim noticed her shirt and smiled.

"Where do you get your t-shirts?" he enquired

"Oh, at this great little place called "Random Thoughts. Why, you wanna pick up a few?"  
"Yeah, that would be nice." he replied

"Ok, then. Let's to it!" she exclaimed, getting up

Grabbing her wallet and slipping it into her back pocket, she pocketed her keys and opened the front door. Hopping into Jim's car, they pulled out onto the main road and headed into town. The store was surprisingly close, and as Jim slipped into a parking spot, he saw the look on Cyan's face.

"What?" he asked

"Oh, nothing. I'm just trying to think of which shirts would suit you best." she replied

Walking through the lot and entering the store, Jim was amazed at the numbers, colours and styles of shirts available. Wandering through the store and checking out several shirts, he settled on four of them. The first one read, "Tastes Like Chicken". The second one read, "What Happens When Genetically Altered Animals Attack". The third one read, "Once Foolish, Twice Stupid" and the fourth one read, "Next Time You Want To Make An Ass Out Of Yourself, Leave Me Out Of It." Cyan had selected several shirts of her own, reading, "Nice, Quiet and Kind of Crazy", "Life's Hard; Its Even Harder When You're Stupid" and another that read, "I Was In The Hall; I Know Because I Was There." Standing at the cash register, Cyan spied a shirt that she thought Grissom would like, reading, "Mystical Vending Machine".

"Hey, you think Mr. Grissom would like this one?" she asked, holding it up

"Yeah, I think he would, but as to whether he'd wear it around, that's another question." he replied, chuckling

Having paid for their purchases and walked back to the car, they buckled themselves in and headed back home. When they arrived there, Cyan got out and leaned in the window to talk to Jim.

"So, where are we going for dinner? and what is the dress code"  
"A nice little place I know of and wear something little, black and leggy." he said, grinning

"Oh, so you're looking to have a heart attack tonight, is that it, then"  
"No, but as long as I'm smiling when it happens, I'll be in heaven." he replied


	3. Chapter 3

As Cyan looked herself over in the mirror, she couldn't help but think that she would most certainly stop Jim in his tracks tonight. It had been so long, too long, in fact, since she'd last worn a dress, she wasn't even sure if she had any that would still fit her. Lucky for her, she did, and it was little, black and strapless, just as Jim had requested. It fit her like a glove; a laytex glove. It was made of crushed velvet and silk with a porcupine quill bustier built into it. As she placed a dollop of Bert's Bees Avocado Butter Hair Treatment in her hand, she rubbed the palms of her hands together and felt the hair glue heating and expanding. Leaning over so that her hair went with gravity, she worked the creme into her hair and styled it as usual, which meant pulling it back in a ponytail. She let a few stray curls fall in front of her face and twirled them around her index finger, bringing out the body. Taking a deep whiff, she smiled. 

"Oranges have never smelled so good." she said, smiling

Padding out of the bathroom and into her walk in closet, she pulled out her footwear; black stirrup motorcycle boots. True, it was a bit goth of her, but the outfit worked perfectly; the elegance of the dress contrasted by the boots and her choice of hair style. Checking her silk stockings, she made sure they were straight and smooth. In her ear, she replaced her usual diamond studs with one sapphire and one emerald stud. Picking up her atomizer, she sprayed a bit of CK-One on and set out for the living room. Just as she cleared the living room into the kitchen, the doorbell rang. As Funky Town played in the house, she could hear Jim laughing.

Opening the front door, Cyan was stunned and floored. There was Jim, wearing a black suit with a cobalt blue dress shirt and a black tie with same shade blue Italian squares. He was truly a vision of male perfection. As she stood in the doorway with her mouth hanging open, Jim did some drooling of his own. As he looked at her from her beautifully curly locks down to the bustier and finally, the boots, he gave a slight frown. Thinking to himself that she was perfect, save for the boots, he decided not to push his luck and take what he was being given. From behind his back, Jim brought his hand forward to reveal a single red rose. No sooner had she seen the rose, than she sneezed.

"Aagh...kchoo!! Excuse me." she said

"I should have asked. You're allergic, right"  
"Yeah, but it was a wonderful thought." she said, taking the rose, snapping the stem from it and putting it in her hair

Taking her cell phone from the small table by the door, she handed it to Jim and smiled.

"You take this, and I'll take this." she said picking up a small zippered pouch

Jim set his house keys on the hall table and took the cell phone from her, placing it in his pocket. As he looked at the small pouch, he wondered where she was planning on putting it.

"What are you going to do with that?" he asked, pointing to the pouch

"Ahh...well, this goes here." she said, lifting up the hem of her dress

Slowly and rather seductively, she inched the hem of her dress to reveal a thigh strap high up on her thigh. Jim's eyes widened as he followed the slow and seductive dance of her fingers as she exposed her upper thigh. Placing the pouch on the velcro strip on her inner thigh, she looked up and caught Jim staring. Smiling, she commented.

"This dress leaves little to the imagination."

Swallowing hard, Jim managed a few words.

"Oh,...uh...I'm imagining a lot right now." he said, wiping the corner of his mouth

"Stop drooling." she snapped, jokingly

Jim's mind swimming with several less than virtuous thoughts, he snapped back to reality when he felt her hand on his arm. Looking at her hand on his arm, Jim managed a sexually frustrated smile and followed her lead as she led him out of the house. Making sure the door was locked, she closed the front door and headed to Jim's car. Remembering his manners, Jim placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her to the passenger side door. Opening the door for her, he held it open while she seated herself and buckled in. Closing the door after her, Jim walked around to his side and got in. Turning the ignition, he looked over at Cyan and grinned.

"You look amazing." he said, taking her hand and planting a kiss on the back of it

"Thanks. You look rather handsome, yourself. I love the suit; it highlights your eyes." she replied

Backing out of the drive, they headed for dinner. Driving down the strip, he growled when they came to the restaurant and it was closed. Parking in front of the vacant building, Jim sighed.

"So, where to now?" he asked, flustered

"Well, dinner is your thing. Dancing is my deal, so, wherever you want to go is fine with me, as long as we're properly dressed." she said, gazing at Jim's reflection in the windshield

"How bout' the Tangiers?" he asked

"That's Braun's place. If that's where you want to go, that's cool."

Turning around and heading for the other end of town, Jim opened his cell phone and tried to dial. When he saw a different speed dial list, he frowned and handed the cell to Cyan. She dialed Sam Braun and waited while the phone rang. A few moments later, he picked up.

"Sam Braun"  
"Mr. Braun, this is Cyan"  
"Hey, hun. What's up?" he asked

"Do you have any tables left in the restaurant"  
"Well, there's my table, why"  
"My dinner plans fell through and we're in a crunch." she explained

"Take my table. It'll be ready when you get here"  
"Thanks, Mr. Braun. We'll be there in about ten minutes." she said, then hung up

Pulling up in front of the casino, Jim got out and handed his keys to the valet. He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for Cyan, guiding her with his hand on her back. Inside, they were greeted by Sam and led to their table in the back. It was dimly lit and really kind of romantic and as they were seated, a waiter came with a bottle of champagne on ice and two glasses. Standing by their side, Sam smiled down at the handsome couple.

"Tonight, you're guests of the house; whatever you want is on the house." he said, beaming

"Thanks, Mr. Braun. I appreciate it." she said, sweetly

"Its no trouble, after all, you're saving me a bundle on my taxes; its the least I could do. And don't forget my offer from earlier." he said, winking

"I'll consider it." she replied

And with that, Sam was gone; out onto the casino floor to make sure he wasn't being robbed. Jim picked up the champagne bottle, poured into the glasses and raising his glass, offered a toast.

"To possibilities." he said

Cyan mirrored his gesture and reciprocated.

As Jim looked at Sam walking away, he wondered what he had been talking about when he mentioned his "offer". Finally, his curiosity got the best of him and he asked her.

"So, Sam made you an offer"  
"Yeah, he wants me full time. I told him I'd think about it." she replied

"What's to think about? No doubt, he's gonna offer you a fat package, like a huge salary, benefits and maybe some other stuff. Besides, if you stay on with him..." Jim trailed off, not wanting to finish his thought

Cyan had an idea as to what he was going to say and didn't want to encourage him. She knew he liked her, and truth be told, she liked him too, but this was all too new for her. Besides, who's to say that anything would develop between she and Jim; this could be just dinner and dancing between two friends. If she had things her way, she and Jim would develop a wonderful and beautiful relationship, but since she didn't know the extent of his feelings for her, she wasn't going to get her hopes up. Instead, she was just going to enjoy a magical evening with a devastatingly handsome man.

When the menus had been brought and the champagne poured, Jim and Cyan perused their options and settled on their meals; he would have the chicken Alfredo and she would have the tomato salad. While they waited for their meals, they made small talk about Grissom's little problem.

"Yeah, he's frustrated as hell. He thinks they guy is playing with us." Jim stated

"Well, what can you tell me? Maybe I can help." she offered

"Well, the last two times, he's left a mark behind. What that mark is, I can't tell you, but its got Gil pissed." Jim replied

"Well, one thing I might suggest is that he research the mark left. I assume its a mark he's seen before, and after that he might find other things that are important to the perp. For example, if he leaves a rune behind, he's most likely interested in mythology or history, as runes were used in mythology as well as hundreds of years ago by the Anglo-Saxons and Germanic people. Does that make sense?" she asked

Considering her words, Jim smiled. This woman was truly brilliant. Honestly, he was surprised that Grissom had not thought of this first. He would have to call him when he got a free moment. Steering the conversation away from the case, Jim ventured into hobbies and interests.

"So, speaking of interests, what types of subjects interest you"  
"Well, mythology, for one; sports for another. I like ice hockey, rugby, extreme hiking and camping. How bout' you?" she asked

"Well, I like history as well as ice hockey and the outdoors, so I guess we've got quite a bit in common after all." he said, smiling

"I never said we didn't. It sounds like you've been doing some mental wrestling." she commented

"Yeah, a bit, but its all good." he replied

Just then, the waiter brought their meals and they ate in companionable silence, save for the odd compliment on the quality of the food.

Walking out of the casino to have their car brought to them, Jim noticed Cyan shiver in the cool night air. Taking off his suit jacket, he draped it over her shoulders. Turning her head slightly and taking a whiff of the residual cologne, she sighed.

"I love this cologne. It makes me wild." she said, softly; but not as softly as she'd liked

"Well, if something's not broken, don't fix it." he replied

The car was brought around and Jim opened the passenger door and waited for her to climb in, closing the door after her. Seating himself, Jim tipped the valet and drove off. As they waited at a red light, Jim noticed Cyan fiddling with something on her leg. He watched as she rubbed her leg from her ankle to her thigh and back down to her ankle.

"What's the matter? Your thigh strap bothering you?" he asked

"No, its this damned thing." she said, removing something from her boot

Jim's eyes popped open as he looked over at the previously concealed Baby Glock that Cyan set in her lap. She switched the holster from her right ankle to her left one and replaced the gun in its holster. Previously unaware that she was packing, he was momentarily speechless. Finally, when he regained his faculties, he addressed the subject.

"You've got a gun in there, too"  
"Yeah. A woman can never be too safe. Besides, I'm registered to carry a concealed weapon." she explained

"Well, I've got mine, so why don't you leave it in the car or let me hold onto it." he suggested

Turning to Jim, she pouted.

"I like you, a lot, and I'm sure you think you could protect me, but I'm not sure I want to turn my gun over to you. Besides, we've only just met." she replied, jokingly

Seeing that she was going to be a tough nut to crack, so to speak, he pulled out the big guns, figuratively.

"Look, I hate to do this, because I'm having a really good time, but if you don't relinquish your weapon, I'm going to have to cut this night short and return you home."

Seeing the look of duality on his face, Cyan conceded.

"Ok, I'll hand it over, but I want it back later, and I don't mean later as in a week or so, but when we get back home" she countered

"Fair enough." he said, extending his hand

She gave him her gun and he tucked it in the waistline of his slacks. He thought to himself that this woman was a surprise a minute, in that she had a gun and he didn't even realize it. Normally, he would be able to tell if someone was holding, as they would carry themselves differently or overcompensate in some way, but Cyan didn't even walk differently. She just walked normally, which could mean one of two things; that it wasn't bothering her or she was used to it. Both of these possible reasons made him consider this woman beside him.

Deciding to change the topic, Jim brought up dancing.

"So, where to?" he asked

"The Hovel." she replied

Jim turned right and headed down towards Nellis Air Force Base and when they were three blocks from it, he turned left and parked the car. Getting out, he waited for Cyan at the hood of the car. His jacket still draped over her shoulders, Jim wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her to the front door. When they reached the door, she took off his jacket so as not to draw attention to either side arm. Jim graciously took it back and slipped into it. As he opened the door, they were greeted by a rather large man dressed in black holding a metal detecting wand. As Cyan passed through the detector, Jim flashed his badge and was granted entry.

They walked down a flight of stairs and when they reached the bottom, Jim heard the unmistakable sounds of "Mama Mia" piping through the speakers. She turned to him and smiled.

"So, Cappie. How do you feel about disco?" she asked

"Disco? You mean there's no Rollins Band or Led Zeppelin"  
"No, I'm a disco nut. As if you couldn't tell by my doorbell?" she quipped

"Ok, what are the chances that they'll play the "Rollerskate" song? You know, "I've got a brand new pair of rollerskates..." he sang in a voice that sounded like a strangled cat

"Hey, that's one of my favourites, along with "the Rubberband" song and the one from The Full Monty, you know, Brown Sugar, or whoever did it. I could never remember that one." she said, laughing

As they passed through the doorway, Jim felt like he'd been transported back about 30 or so years and landed in a velvet and lava lamped den of iniquity. For as far as he could see, there were leisure suits, butterfly collars, platform shoes and polyester.

"Don't take the brown acid." Jim said, jokingly

"That's not funny." she replied

Heading over to the bar, she was halted by Jim's hand on her arm. Turning around, she saw him smiling wide.

"I'm going to step outside and call Grissom. You know, tell him your theory?" Jim said

As she watched Jim leave the club, she continued her way to the bar and ordered a couple of drinks. Leaning against the bar, Cyan was alerted to the presence of someone looking at her in a less than savory way. She got chills up her spine as she turned to see a dark skinned brother in a baby blue leisure suit glaring at her. This man was obviously deficient in the \ life skills necessary to pick up women, as his line was as dated as his clothes.

"Did it hurt?" he asked

"Did what hurt?" she replied

"When you fell from Heaven; did it hurt?" he replied, grinning, to reveal a big gold tooth right up front

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. I'm here with my husband"  
"Well, he's not much of a man to leave you here all alone"  
"I can take care of myself, thanks." she snapped

Realizing that he had a potential fight on his hands, the man turned away and chatted up the woman next to him.

"Yeah, Gil, this is Jim"  
"Hey, Jim, where are you? I hear The Bee Gee's"  
"I'm at a real disco-tech, with real disco music." he replied

"Oh, I see you found the Hovel." he joked

"Yeah, I did. Anyway, here's a thought about the case"  
"Yeah, if you've got any, I'm willing to listen." Gil stated

"Research the All Seeing Eye. A friend of mine suggested that if he's interested in that, he might know more about other icons and talismans. Does that make sense?" Jim asked

"I'll do that. Thanks." Gil said

"Ok, let me get back in there." Jim replied

"Rock on, man." Gil joked

"Funny." Jim said, hanging up

As Jim re-entered the club, he could see that Cyan had her hands full with some leeches that had gathered since he'd gone outside. Listening to their conversation, he could hear Cyan say that she was here with her husband and that he'd be back any minute. Jumping into his role, he approached the leeches and winked at her.

"Hi, honey. Sorry I took so long." he said, walking up to her and planting a kiss right on her lips

Evidently, Jim was very deep in his role, because he captured her mouth with his and plundered her with his tongue. Their display was so effective, in fact, that his hands began to wander to places of her body that were barely covered. As his hand slid up her thigh to her barely covered buttocks, he squeezed her slightly and grinned inwardly when she gave a low groan. Several long moments later, they separated and when Cyan opened her eyes, she was seeing stars; stars dancing around, mingled with his eyes. Catching her breath, she sighed.

"Man, you really are a gem, Jim." she said, breathlessly

"Well, I was inspired." he replied

"If that was you being inspired, I'd hate to see what would happen if I was really in trouble." she joked

Turning back to the bar, Jim watched the leeches peel off and go their separate ways. Placing his hand on the small of her back, he drew her to him and inhaled deeply.

"Your hair smells like oranges. Hmmm...good." he sighed

"Its my hair treatment." she replied simply

Looking down the length of the bar, searching for the bartender, she spotted him and called out.

"Hey, Julian, can I get two Ice's"  
"Sure thing, sweet cheeks." he replied

Jim glared at the bartender and gave him a disapproving look. Fishing out two beers, he set them before Cyan and Jim. Turning to Jim, she introduced them.

"Jim, this is Julian. Julian, this is Jim." she said

"So, this is Jim. I've heard a lot about you, man." he replied, extending his hand

Taking Julian's hand and shaking it a bit harder than he should have, Jim made his intentions known, in that Cyan was with him and that he should treat her with respect. From behind an evil eye, Jim spoke.

"What sort of name is Sweet Cheeks?" Jim asked

"Oh, that's nothing, you should hear her name for me." Julian replied

"What's that?" Jim asked, turning to Cyan

"Fuzzy Britches." she said, smiling

Jim laughed so hard, he nearly blew beer out his nose. Cyan smiled her thanks to Julian and took Jim's hand, leading him onto the dance floor. No sooner had they stepped on the floor, than a nice slow dance song came on. Jim and Cyan set their beers on a nearby table and returned to dance. Her arms around his neck and his arms around her waist, they snuggled up and danced slowly to the wonderful sounds of ABBA's "Fernando". Cyan rested her cheek on Jim's shoulder and soaked in his essence.

Driving home for the evening, Jim was sober as a judge, while Cyan was a bit on the tipsy side; having tossed a few back in competition with Julian towards the end of the evening. As they drove past the lab, Jim's cell phone rang. Fishing through his pockets, he pulled out Cyan's phone and set it in the drink holder, followed by his own cell phone. Flipping it open, he answered it.

"Its 03:00, this better be good." he growled

"Jim, its Gil. Where are you?" he asked "On my way home. Why?" he enquired

"Well, turn around and go back to the club. We've got another one"  
"Ok, I'm on my way." he said, closing his cell

Flooring the gas pedal and carefully negotiating traffic, Jim turned to Cyan, who was looking at him, a confused expression on her face. Placing his hand on her knee, he rubbed with his thumb.

"We've got to go back to the club. There was an incident." he said

"Ok, that's cool. I mean, not that its cool, but that its cool, you know?" she said with slightly slurred speech

Jim laughed to himself and just nodded his reply. As they pulled up in front of the bar, Cyan hopped out and found Julian standing across the street with the others from the club. Catching Jim just before he went inside, she called to him.

"I'll be with Julian"  
"Ok." he replied, disappearing inside

Inside, the scene was a mess with half empty drinks and broken beer bottles and such. Jim quickly found Grissom and crew hovering around the body. Patting Gil on the shoulder, he yawned. Standing up, Grissom sighed.

"Sorry to have called you so late, but I thought you'd want in on this." he said

"You bet I do." he replied

"So, where's your date?" Sara asked

"Across the street with a friend." Jim stated

Looking down at the body, Jim stifled a gasp when he saw who, exactly, it was. Picking his head up and heading outside, he found Cyan and Julian sitting on a cinderblock wall, leaning on each other. Approaching her, Jim held out his hand.

"You mind if I borrow her for a minute, Jules"  
"As long as you take care of her." he replied

"Always." he said, winking

Taking Cyan by the hand, Jim lead her inside and prepared her for what she was going to see.

"I'm going to show you someone that I think you've seen before. If you have, just say so, if not, just say so." he explained

Passing the officers and news media, Jim and Cyan went downstairs and headed for the scene. At the foot of the stairs, she could see a man lying on the floor in a crumpled sort of position. Moving closer, she recognized the baby blue leisure suit and the platform shoes. Covering her mouth with her hand, she gasped aloud. Gesturing to the dead man, Jim sighed.

"This is one of the leeches, no?" Jim asked

"Yeah, its him; gold tooth and all." she replied

"You know this man?" Gil asked, not looking up from the body

"Yes, Mr. Grissom. His name is Rico Martin; local purveyor of all things recreational." she explained

"He's a dealer?" Grissom asked, standing and looking at her

"ADD? Is that you? You look so...um..."

"Yeah, well, that having been said, let's get you back outside, shall we?" Jim said, hurrying her outside

Once outside, Jim returned her to Julian and went back inside to Grissom and the others, no doubt, to field questions about his date, among other things. As Jim approached the team, he was greeted with whistles, hoots and hollers. There was also a comment made by someone about Jim cruising the junior college for girls. He could have sworn it came from Nick, but as he was on the other end of the bar, he just glared at everyone else.

Having photographed the body, Grissom moved on to the bar, where Rico had been standing. Picking up a drink that had been identified as Rico's, Grissom turned it over in his hands, looking down the neck of it. Reaching into his kit, he pulled out a pair of long nosed tweezers and poked them into the bottle. As he pulled them out, he saw something that made his face light up.

"I know there's no bug in there, so it must be a clue. " Jim called out from where he stood

"I never thought I could be so happy to see a piece of paper, ...but, ...here it is." he replied

Looking the scrap of paper over, it was the same as from the night before; an all seeing eye, from the back of a dollar bill. Pulling a bindle from his kit, he placed the scrap of paper in it and closed it up, placing it back in his kit. Looking around, he noticed that Jim was gone, so he asked after him. Sara having told him that Jim was outside interviewing witnesses, he went back to his work.

Outside, Cyan was still with Julian, and she was getting a bit tired, so she went to the car and climbed in. Looking to the cup holder, she saw that her phone was gone, so, she reached into Jim's jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. Flipping it open, she dialed.

Jim was interviewing witnesses when he heard his phone ring. Pulling it from his pocket, he noticed that it wasn't his, but when he checked the caller ID, he saw that the incoming call was from his cell phone. Flipping it open, he answered it.

"Brass"  
"James, Julian's gonna take me home." she said

"Oh, so now its Jimmy? What happened to Cappie?" he joked

"I'll call you whatever you want me to." she said, a bit light headed

"Can I get that in writing?" he asked

"Ha Ha, Sweet Ass"  
"What?!??" he asked, stunned

"What?" she replied

"What did you call me"  
"I dunno. Jules gonna take me home. I'll see you later"  
"Ok, sorry about tonight. You know, the scene and all"  
"That's alright, its part of your job, and you, more or less, are your job. Besides, you can make it up to me." she said in a tone that made Jim flushed

From under the flannel sheets of her king sized bed, Cyan could hear something that sounded like a knocking, but it was faint, like in a dream. As the knocking got louder, she opened her eyes and looked at her clock: 05:00hrs. Wondering who would be knocking at this ungodly hour, she put on a t-shirt and padded down the hall to the front door. More knocking came, so this time, she shouted.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, hold your wad."

She reached her hand out for the knob and as she turned it and the door opened, she yawned.


	4. Chapter 4

Covering her mouth and closing her eyes so she wouldn't get dizzy, she let the door swing wide open and gestured with her hand for him to come in. His dress shirt unbuttoned at the top and his tie hanging loose and slack, Jim yawned, himself, and walked in. Looking around, his gaze settled on the hall table and his keys. Picking them up and pocketing them, Jim yawned again. 

"I left my keys here"  
"If you left your keys, then how did you drive here?" she asked, feigning suspicion

"I've got two sets, one that has a house key and the other that doesn't." he explained, yawning again

"You're tired; take the guest room if you like." she said, pointing to the empty room to her right

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to impose." he said, pulling his tie off all the way

"Not at all. Let me get you an extra blanket from the wardrobe." she said, entering the room

The guestroom was spacious enough, with a four poster queen size bed on the far end of the room and big fat pillows and flannel sheets that just begged to be slept in. As Cyan opened the wardrobe to retrieve the blanket, Jim had already slipped his dress shirt off and tossed it on the high backed rocking chair in the corner. Blanket in hand, Cyan turned to place it on the bed and was caught off guard by Jim's broad and slightly furry chest.

"Fur; nice." she mumbled

"What was that?" he asked

"Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself. Its healthy in moderation, you know." she stated

"Oh, ok"  
"Good night. If you need anything, I'm right next door." she offered

"Thanks."

As Jim stripped his slacks and socks off, he wondered if he should really be there, in her house, with her right next door to him; but they were adults and they could surely control themselves. He sat on the edge of the bed and swung his legs up and under the covers. Pulling the flannel sheets and down comforter up to his chin, he was immediately warmed by the cotton and down that surrounded him. The mattress was comfy, too; a pillow top. Needless to say, within a matter of minutes, he was asleep.

About an hour later, Cyan woke to what sounded like a freight train running through the house. She opened her eyes and lay awake for a few moments as she realized that Jim had a majorly deviated septum. Growling, she climbed out of bed and walked next door to Jim's room. The door was open and he was on his back, snug as a very big bug in a down rug. She quietly padded to his bedside and looked down at him. Behind his lids, she could see the movement of his eyes and thought about how cute he looked. Struggling with whether or not she should wake him or leave him be, she was startled by a rather large snore that sounded a kin to Darryl Van Horn in The Witches of Eastwick. Chuckling quietly, she reached out her hand and pinched his nose closed. He gave a great sort of cackle and rolled over, taking her with him. Pinned under his arm, she gave slight resistance, but as she was too tired to put up a real fight, she gave in and pulled the top blanket over herself and tried to make the best of it.

Sometime around 11:00hrs, Jim woke to use the bathroom and when he opened his eyes to see where he was, he realized that he was not alone. Looking over, he saw Cyan on her side, tucked into a ball, sleeping happily. Gently lifting his arm and sliding out of bed, he tip toed out of the room and used the master bedroom bathroom. Having relieved himself and washed his hands, he looked in the mirror and grinned.

"The Gods have smiled upon me." he said, cheerily

Flushing the toilet, he quietly made his way back to the guestroom and noticed that Cyan had moved under the primary blanket, but was still asleep. Standing over her, he debated whether he should sleep above or below the covers, but as the air was cold, he climbed under the bedclothes and rolled onto his side, his back to her. Trying to fall back to sleep, he chuckled as he heard Cyan mumbling something.

"Toe grab and a big air Ollie."

It was nearly 15:00hrs when Jim woke next and much to his pleasure, Cyan was still there, under his arm, and they were spooning, her fingers laced with his. He breathed in deeply and marveled at how her hair smelled like fresh squeezed oranges. A few minutes later, his cell phone rang and since he didn't want to separate from her, he let his voice mail get it. A few seconds later, it rang again.

"Cappie, your order is up." she said, still asleep

"Its the phone." he replied, not sure if she was asleep or not

Jim's voice brought her out of her sleep and as she rolled over, she opened her eyes and was stunned to see Jim's big blues looking right back at her. A bit shocked and more than slightly confused, she backed up a bit and stumbled over her apology.

"Oh,...my God...I'm...so sorry."

Looking back at her and smiling, he replied.

"Good morning, or should I say afternoon"  
"Afternoon?" she asked

"Yeah, its around 15:00hrs"  
"Oh, shit. Sam's gonna kill me." she gasped, flying out of bed

In her room, she was tossing clothes everywhere as she was looking for something to wear. As Jim stood in the doorway in his boxers and t-shirt, he tried to verbally settle her down.

"Just check your voice mail, maybe he called. If he didn't, its probably cool." he said

"Good point." she said, reaching for her phone

Padding back into the guestroom and climbing back under the warm covers, she checked her voice mail as Jim suggested. Listening to her messages, she smiled, as she watched Jim come back in and crawl under the covers as well. He lay on his back as Cyan listened to her messages. Pulling the covers up to her chin, she set the cell phone on the bedside table and pressed speaker phone. As both of them listened to her messages, they snuggled.

"Um, Cyan, this is Sam Braun. I figured you'd be AWOL today; I heard you had a busy night last night, so, I'll see you tomorrow morning. Remember, drink plenty of fluids."

Jim and Cyan laughed as the messages played on.

"ADD, this is Gil Grissom. Thanks for letting me kidnap you the other night. Its nice to talk shop with someone away from work that has a clear understanding of what's being said. I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me this week on a bug hunt of sorts. I'm going out to Lake Meade and I'd love the company. Call me back. Thanks."

Hearing Grissom's message, Jim gave a silent growl and tried not to think evil thoughts. The last message was the best.

"Hey, Girlie, its Greggo. I talked to the others and they'd love to join in the festivities. Just pick a date and let me know. Oh, and on a more personal note, I was wondering if you'd like to go out some time, you know, a dame like you and a stud like me; we could make some beautiful music together. Just think about it, ok?"

Jim could not contain himself, so, laughing aloud, he pulled the blankets over his head. Under the covers, Cyan could hear Jim laughing up a storm, so she peeled them back and looked down at him. His eyes were tearing, he was laughing so hard and as she glared at him, Jim only laughed harder.

"What's so funny, fancy pants"  
"Oh, just Sanders. He's a card." he replied

"He's sweet; kind of cute, too." she said, cautiously

"Yeah, if that's what you go for, then I suppose he is." he commented Looking at him playfully and winking, she climbed on top of him.

"Oh, I think you know the sort I go for." she said, leaning forward and kissing his nose

Jim reached up and attempted to hold her to him, but she wiggled free.

"Tease!!" he shouted

"I'm not a tease. Besides, we've only just met; what kind of woman would I be if I jumped into bed with you after only our first date and less than a week of knowing each other?"

"A happy one?" Jim said, hopefully

"All good things come to those who wait."

"Good point. Besides, patience is a virtue that I've got in spades." he replied

"That having been said, lets fix breakfast"

Sunday 9PM

As Jim strolled into the lab, he could tell that people were talking about him. Heading down the hall towards Grissom's office he could see Sara, Nick, Warrick and Greg, all tightly huddled together whispering. As he glared into the break room, they stopped talking. Across from the break room, Jim could see that Gil's door was open, so he knocked on the jamb and entered. Sitting in the chair opposite his desk, Jim crossed his legs at the ankles and sighed.

"I swear, feeling this good should be illegal." he stated

"I take it things went well last night." Grissom said, looking up from a pile of papers

"Ahh, you're not keeping up with the system she set up." he commented

"I know where everything goes, Jim. Its just a question of putting it back." he replied

"I have a question for you, Jim."

"Sure, fire away"  
"You said that the other day, ADD was at the scene, right? And then, last night, she was there as well..."

"What are you getting at, Gil?" Jim asked, slightly annoyed

"Well, I'm just wondering, the message on my voice mail had a voice distortion device on it, and then there are the two scenes that she was at. I'm just wondering if we know as much about her as we think we do. You know?" Gil explained

"Hey, I'm a pretty good judge of character, and even though neither of us has known each other for very long, I don't feel that she's capable of this. Besides, what's her motive; not to mention that the one at the Luxor happened when she was working." Jim pointed out

"I was just bouncing theories around, that's all. I didn't mean for you to get your panties in a bunch"  
"They're not bunched. I just don't believe she's who we should be looking at. I mean, last night the drink was poisoned, so maybe we should be looking at the bartender." he said

"We did. He's got no record of any sort. Apart from the fact that "Julian" is not his real name, there's nothing to send up any flags." Gil replied

Just then, Jim's cell phone went off. Pulling it from his pocket, he growled when he realized that it wasn't his. Opening it up, he chuckled.

"Yeah, I know, I've got your phone. Who'd of thought that we'd both have the same exact phones?" he said in greeting

"Well, if you tell me when you're taking your lunch, I'll bring you something and I can reclaim my phone."

"Probably around 02:00hrs." he replied

"Ok, I'll be there. How do you feel about chili"  
"I love chili. I didn't know you could cook"  
"I'm a monster in the kitchen." she said, joking

"Only in the kitchen?" he asked, suggestively

At this, Gil looked up from his stack of papers and grinned a lopsided grin. Seeing Jim joke like that made him realize how long it had been since Jim had been happy, in a relationship sort of way. Sure, he had smiled a lot these past few years, but this smile was different; he'd never seen this smile before. When Jim spoke to her, he smiled, when he talked about her, he smiled and when he thought about her, he smiled. This past week, he was a big, happy, smiling fool. And seeing the two of them last night, Gil thought about what a handsome couple they made, regardless of the age difference, which had to be at least 20 years or so. She breathed life into him and he was taking big, deep breaths.

"Gil. Hey, Earth to Grissom"  
"Huh, what?" he asked, confused

"You were wandering again. Did you take your Ritalin today?" Jim asked jokingly

"Smart ass. Anyway, like I was saying, you and ADD looked very nice together last night. You certainly seem very happy when you're with her." he continued

Thinking for a moment, Jim knew that this was not where they had left off before his cell phone rang. Before now, they were talking about Julian, the bartender, not he and Cyan. This led Jim to believe that while he was on the phone, Gil was thinking about her; not very good at covering up. Playing along, Jim replied.

"Yeah, well, I am." he said, short and sweet

"That's good. Everyone deserves happiness."

Just then, Gil's cell phone rang. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled it out and answered.

"Grissom"  
"Mr. Grissom, this is ADD"  
"Oh,...Hi. How're you?" he asked, eyeing Jim

"Fine, and you?" she replied

"Very well, thanks. What's up"  
"I was just calling to accept your invitation for the bug hunt this week. What day are you going? I just need to Give Mr. Braun enough notice, that's all." she explained

"Oh, ok. How bout' Tuesday morning?" he asked

"Sounds good. I'll meet you at the lab around 09:00hrs"  
"That's ok. I'll pick you up from work." he replied

"Ok. See you then." he said, closing his phone

Looking at Gil, Jim noted the broad smile on his face. He thought to himself that Gil seemed a bit happier as well.

"You got a hot date?" he joked

"No, not as such. Just a friend." he replied, flatly

"You've got friends? Well, wonders never cease."

As Jim looked Gil over, his desk phone rang. As he watched Gil conversing with his caller, he noticed the change in his demeanor. Grissom scribbled notes down furiously and when he hung up, he flew out of his seat and headed for the break room. Inside, Nick, Sara and Greg were still there, chatting up a storm.

"Sara, Greg, Nick, you're with me. He's struck again." he said, out of breath

"Oh, man. This guy's hot." Greg said, jumping out of his seat

Climbing out of the truck, Gil, Greg, Sara, Nick and Jim headed inside. As they passed through the rows of slot machines and Roulette tables, they were met by the owner of the casino.

"I'd like to keep this as quiet as possible. The last thing I need is for reporters to turn this into media fodder."

"Well do our best, Sam. Where's the victim?" Gil asked

"In the men's room. Follow me." he said, leading them further inside

Turning to Greg, Jim growled.

"What's the matter, Brass?" he asked

"This is where she works"  
"Where who works?" Greg enquired, confused

"Cyan"  
"Who?" he asked  
"ADD. She works here." Jim said, shortly

"So do lots of other people, Jim." Greg pointed out

Reaching into his pocket, Jim pulled out his cell phone and dialed. As the phone rang, he lagged behind a bit. Cursing, Jim did a visual sweep of the area. Seeing nothing, he sighed. Just then, he heard a voice on his cell.

"What's up, Cappie?" she asked

"Where are you?" he asked

"At work. I got stir crazy and decided to come in, why"  
"Can I see you"  
"No, but I can see you." she replied, jokingly

Letting his arm fall to his side, Jim looked around the casino floor and when he saw her, he gave a nervous smile. Walking up to her, he placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her to a secluded area, where they could talk in peace. Over by the ATM machine, Jim worked her into a corner as he looked around, making sure they could not be seen.

"Have you been here all evening?" he asked in forceful tones

"Yeah, since about 19:00hrs. Why"  
"Our friend has struck again, and again, you're at the scene. Can you account for your whereabouts for the last few hours" he asked, pulling out his notepad

"Well, yeah. There's the cameras in the hall outside my office and then there's Mr. Braun. We've been in a meeting since 21:00hrs. Don't tell me I'm a suspect." she said, offended

"Well, you've got to admit that its kind of odd that you'd be at three of the scenes." he said softly

"Well, the first one was right near my house, the second one was at the club, and if I'm not mistaken, you were there, too. And this one is where I work, so what of it?" she asked, annoyed

"We're just covering all our bases, that's all"  
"Covering your bases, huh. Well, Cappie, you've just struck out. I'm going back to work. If you'd like to pin anything else on me, like the Lindburgh baby or The Black Dahlia, just let me know." she said, leaving in a huff

Jim watched as Cyan walked away and got in the lift to return to her office. As soon as she left, it hit him just how much his words had truly hurt and offended her. In all reality, his questions were justified, but she was taking things kind of hard, he thought. Looking around, he spotted Gil and Sara looking for him, so he raised his hand and walked over to them.

"She's here and says that she can account for her whereabouts. She said she was in a meeting since 21:00hrs and that Sam and the cameras can account that." Jim said softly to Grissom

"You accused her?!? What did she say?" Sara asked

"She said if I'd like to pin the Lindburgh baby or the Black Dahlia on her, that I know where to find her." Jim explained

"Oh, Jim, you screwed up. Why didn't you check the tapes first and then, based on what you saw, ask her about it. You're going to have to kiss major butt to make up for this one. Good luck, man." Greg said, chuckling

"Lay off, Greggo." Sara said in Jim's defense

"Nick, go check the tapes. See what we can see." Grissom directed

"Right-o, Griss." he said, heading for security

In the security office, Nick looked at the tapes and smiled as he watched proof of Cyan's location during the incident. The tapes showed Sam and Cyan entering his office at around 21:00hrs and Sam leaving only minutes before Grissom and crew walked through the front doors. At 21:45hrs, he watched as Sam crossed the floor to the men's room and Cyan picked up her cell phone, making a couple of calls, then leaving the office. Looking at the adjoining monitor, he saw her come out onto the game floor and come up behind Jim; her alibi was solid. Jim was definitely in trouble.

In the men's room, Gil and Sara were taking photos and sweeping the scene, looking for evidence. In the victim's hand was a crumpled plastic cup, and as Grissom separated it from their victim, he saw the same all-seeing eye as the night before and the scene before that. Taking his tweezers and removing it, he placed it in a bindle and put it in his kit. As Jim came in, he stopped in his tracks, looking down at the body.

"Hey, I know this guy. He's a major player; DiCimino." Jim stated

"So, that's what, 5 or 6 dead dealers in town?" Grissom replied

"Yeah, it would appear as such."

Tapes in hand, Nick walked to the scene and found Jim deep in thought. Pulling him to the side, Nick waved the tapes in front of Jim's face, grinning heavily.

"You better send her some roses or tickets to Celine, because she didn't do it. She's on tape the whole time. You're screwed, man." Nick said, chuckling

"She's allergic to roses." he said, pouting

"Well, then you've got to figure something out, and fast, before someone else snatches her up"  
"Agh, why was I such an ass?" Jim asked, not expecting to get an answer

"Because you are the job, and sometimes the job doesn't have any tact, that's why." Nick replied

Back at the lab, Grissom was looking at photos of the dead dealers that he'd scattered across his desk. Looking from the first one to the last one, he tried to think of what these guys had in common aside from their profession. Coming up empty, he growled aloud.

Tuesday 9AM

Jim and Cyan had not spoken since his accusation at the Tangiers. Cyan had worked double shifts so that she could go with Grissom on his little expedition to Lake Meade. Sitting at her desk, she looked up from her papers when her phone rang. Rubbing her eyes and stretching her back, she picked up.

"Hello"  
"This is Grissom. Are you ready?" he asked

"Yeah, I am. I'll be out in a second." she replied

"Ok, I'll be there in a few minutes"  
"I'll be waiting."

Slipping into her hiking boots, she tied up her laces and made sure everything was in its place before she locked her office door. Heading out and across the casino floor, she exited and stood, waiting for Grissom to show up.

Across the street, Jim was waiting in his car, debating on whether or not he should go in. He perked up when he saw her come out and just as she appeared, he made to get out of his car. He hesitated when he saw her approach an upcoming truck and get in. Recognizing it as Grissom's truck, Jim turned red with anger and frustration. Remembering their recent conversation, Jim cursed aloud.

"He suggested her, I confronted her, she blew up and he moves in. Sneaky little bastard. She and I have an argument and he comes to the rescue."

Cyan climbed in and as they drove off, Jim slammed his fist down on the dash. Pulling away, he headed home and tried to forget his anger.

Looking over at his companion, Grissom noticed that she seemed rather preoccupied. Wanting to help, he enquired as to the problem.

"Oh, nothing. Its just that Jim more or less accused me of being a killer the other night. I swear, sometimes he can be so tactless." she explained

Realizing that her bad mood was, in part, due to him, he clarified.

"I'm afraid I'm responsible for that. I pointed out that you were at some of the scenes and how that was kind of on the suspicious side. He defended you to the hilt, but I'm afraid that it was me who placed doubt in his mind." he explained

Turning to Gil, she glared at him. Seeing this out of the corner of his eye, he returned his focus to the road and awaited his verbal lashing. Considering her words for a moment, she replied.

"Why would you do such a thing? Do I look like a serial killer to you?" she asked in aggravated tones

"Does anyone ever really look like a killer"  
"Don't get all fortune cookie on me, Gilbert. Its because of your hasty suggestion that..." she trailed off, not wanting to complete her thought

"Do you want me to take you home?" he asked, sullen faced

"No, but I do want you to fix this. I'm disappointed in you, Gil Grissom." she replied, staring out the window

An hour or so later, they pulled up at Lake Meade and climbed out of the truck. Grissom removed his pack from the boot of the truck and shouldered it. Reaching to the back seat, Cyan pulled out a couple of bottles of water and dropped them in the pockets of her cargo pants. Looking over at Grissom, she smiled.

"I love fatigues; there's room for everything"  
"Ok, you ready to get trekkin'?" he said

"Lead on, MacDuff." she replied

Heading into the woods, they strayed off the beaten path and trail blazed. As they forged their way through the woods, Grissom pointed out all sorts of things, like remains of animals and critter dens and such. As they moved farther and farther from the path, Gil looked up to the sky to get his bearings. Since they had arrived, the sky had clouded up a bit and he was having a bit of a hard time navigating . Turning to Cyan, he blushed.

"I think we're lost"  
"You're kidding?" she said looking up at the sun

Focusing on the brightest section of clouds, she determined that they were headed east. So, turning around 180 degrees, she pointed.

"The truck is this way." she said, tromping off

"Are you sure?" he asked, trying to keep up with her

As they made their way back, the sky got dark and it began to rain, distorting their vision of their path back. As the rain came down in big fat drops, Grissom stopped.

"This sucks. We're soaked, lost, and I'm hungry." he shouted above the sound of the rain

Reaching into her pocket, Cyan pulled out two power bars. Turning to Grissom, she grinned.

"Mixed berry or Cappuccino?" she asked

"Either one." he replied

Tossing the Cappuccino flavoured bar at him, she turned back to the barely visible path that they had made coming in.

"Maybe we should stop until the rain lets up." he suggested

"The longer we wait, the longer its gonna take for us to get back, besides, you've got to feed your bugs, and I don't think they'll like power bar." she said, laughing

Trudging away, she realized that she heard only one set of footsteps. Turning around, she saw nothing. Cupping her hands over her mouth, she called for Grissom.

"Grissom. Come on, man."

Backtracking, she had made it several yards when she heard someone yelling. Looking around and listening, she trained her ears on the noise. Beside a fallen tree she found him in the cavity left by the roots of the tree. Grissom was flat on his back in a hole at least 8 feet deep. Looking down at him, she laughed.

"What the hell happened"  
"What does it look like? Get me out of here." he shouted

Looking around for a branch or rope or something left by litterbug hikers, she found nothing. After a couple seconds of quick thinking, she had an epiphany.

"Get up and toss me your pack." she demanded

Gil made to get up, but only fell back down in the mud. Trying a couple more times, he cursed.

"I think my ankle's busted." he said, taking off his pack and throwing it to her

"Ok, we'll deal with that in a minute." she said, unfastening the straps

Cutting the straps from the bag and tying them together, she tossed one end down to Grissom and wrapped the other end around her wrist. As Gil took hold of it, Cyan put all her legs and back into heaving him up. Just as he reached the top of the hole, Cyan felt her wrist snap. The pain was immediate and sharp. As Gil slid on his stomach out of the hole, she let go of the strap and looked at her hand. She could see the dislocated bones and could barely move her fingers.

By this time, Gil had rolled over onto his back and was holding his defective ankle. Looking over at him, she pushed her pain aside and tended to Gil's ankle. Taking off her shirt, she tore it in strips and wrapped them around his ankle. Cutting the shoulder straps from the pack, she cradled his foot in them and tied them around his calf and just above his twisted ankle bones. This makeshift splint was good enough, and as he stood up, he thanked her for her help.

Looking down at her wrist, Gil could see the swelling that was presenting itself. Reaching down and picking up a thick stick, he took the webbing from the pack and strapped the stick to her forearm. Looking up at him, the rain in her eyes, she thanked him. Draping his arm around her shoulder, she helped him around and after about an hour of tromping in the mud and underbrush, they made it back to the truck. Hopping behind the wheel, Cyan unlocked the door for Gil and he climbed in.

"Ok, where's the closest hospital?" she asked

"That would be Desert Palms. Just head back to town." he said, wincing from the pain

"Ok, let's get there in one piece, shall we?" she said, pulling out of the lot

Back in town, several hours later, Cyan and Gil were in hospital; he in x-ray and she in triage. Her wrist had been splinted and she was told that it wasn't broken, just sprained. While waiting for Grissom to get through, she just sat and people watched. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar face.

"Hey, Greggo." she called

Whipping his head around, he saw her sitting in a plastic chair, her arm wrapped in an ace bandage.

"What happened to you?" he asked

"Just a minor accident. You should see the other guy." she replied

"Who's that"  
"That would be me." Grissom said

Turning, Greg was startled to see his boss, leg casted and wheeling himself down the hall. Greg could not help but laugh at this pitiful sight in front of him.

"Oh, my God, what happened"  
"He stepped into a tank trap and I sprained my wrist getting him out." she explained

"Are we ready to go?" Gil asked

"Yeah, I am if you are." she said, folding her discharge papers

"You need a ride?" Greg asked Looking from Cyan to Greg, Grissom frowned.

"No, thanks, Greg. We're fine." he replied

"Ok, see you guys later."

Watching as Cyan wheeled Gil out of the ward and to the parking lot, Greg pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Jim. Waiting while the phone rang, Greg tended to his business, in the form of hitting on a nurse.

In front of Gil's apartment, Cyan parked and hopped out, getting Gil's crutches from the back seat. Handing them to him, she asked if he needed any help.

"No, I'm fine." he said

"Ok, I'm going home. Let me know when you want your truck back"  
"Ok." he replied

She stood there and waited until Gil disappeared into his apartment. Climbing back into the truck, she drove home to take her pain killers and go to sleep. Unlocking her front door, she dropped the keys on the hall table and shuffled into her room. Stripping her clothes off, she crawled into bed and set her alarm clock. It was 15:00hrs, so she set it for 20:00hrs so that she could get into work that evening. As she sank into a deep, happy pill induced sleep, she hoped that Gil was ok.

19:00hrs, and as Jim drove by Cyan's house to see her, he saw Gil's truck in the drive. He fumed as thoughts of her and Gil in whatever position they were in, raced through his mind. He never thought of Grissom as the type to horn in on someone's love life, but as far as he could tell, Gil was a bit more than friendly with her. Continuing past her house, Jim drove to the lab, deciding that he would wait for Grissom to come in and confront him.

Sitting in her office, Cyan was flipping through papers from Sam's charity event a few months back, when a knock came at her door. Looking up, she waved him in. Sitting in the chair next to her desk, Sam enquired after her injury.

"What happened to you"  
"Nothing, just a sprained wrist. It'll heal." she replied

"Are you sure you should be in tonight?" he asked

"I'm fine, Mr. Braun"  
"I told you, call me Sam." he said, getting up

At the lab, everyone was waiting for Grissom to show up when Catherine came in. All of them were seated around the conference table as she entered the room and sat at the head of the table. Slips in hand, she addressed them all.

"Ok, Gil is out for a while with a sprained ankle, so, I'm playing boss until he gets back." she explained

Hearing this, Jim perked up a bit and a small smile presented itself on his face. As Catherine prattled on about the nights cases, Jim's cell phone rang. Standing up and answering it, he was cheery.

"Brass"  
"Jim, this is Cyan. I'd like my cell phone back, as I'm sure you would yours." she said, shortly

"I'll bring it by in a bit. Are you at home?" he asked

"No, I'm at work"  
"Ok."

And with that, he hung up and returned to the conference room to catch the end of Catherine's address. As everyone got up to leave, Jim was caught by Greg's hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Brass, I've got dish, if you want it."

Reluctant, but at the same time, curious, Jim nodded.

"Well, earlier, I was at the hospital and you'll never guess who I saw. Grissom and ADD"  
"What were they doing there?" he asked, his ears perking up

"Apparently, they went hiking and Grissom fell into a hole, twisting his ankle. She pulled him out, but sprained her wrist in the process." he explained

"Well, I just spoke with her and she said she's at work." Jim commented

"Well, that's work ethic for you. She's indestructible." Greg said, chuckling

At the Tangiers, Jim crossed the casino floor and was met by Sam Braun. Way laying him, Sam handed him a cell phone. A bit confused, Jim asked why Cyan wasn't there.

"I sent her home. Apparently, she injured herself today. She said she was fine, but I insisted she go home. She took a bunch of paperwork with her."

"Oh, ok. I'll catch her there." Jim said, turning and walking away

In front of Cyan's house, Jim saw Gil's truck still in the drive, and pushing his anger aside, he climbed the steps and just as he was about to ring the bell, he noticed the door was open. Drawing his weapon, he pushed the door open with a finger and entered the house. He saw what he would later describe as signs of a struggle; overturned hall table, broken vase and water spilled on the floor. As he passed through the house, he made his way to the bedroom and that's when he saw her on the floor.

Her bedside table was on it's side and she was out cold, a good sized gash above her left eye and a bruise on her upper left cheek. He rushed to her side and called to her.

"Cyan, hun. Wake up."

No reply.

"Cyan, come on. You've got to open your eyes."

Still, no response, so Jim pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. He relayed his position and then called the lab. As he waited for the ambulance to arrive, he cleared the rest of the house and went back to her side. Her pulse was weak and her breathing very shallow. He dared not touch her, beyond checking her pulse, and as he looked down on her, he thought that she looked almost like she was sleeping. He had seen her sleep before, but for some reason, this didn't look entirely like sleep, but more like something else. On his knees beside her, he swore that he would never get angry with her again, regardless of what was going on between she and Grissom.

"I'm so sorry, hun. I was an asshole. Just wake up; wake up and, I promise, everything will be alright." he pleaded, tears running down his face


	5. Chapter 5

Jim watched as the ambulance pulled away and Catherine and crew arrived to process the house. Leaning against the hood of Grissom's truck, he wiped the tears from his face as he answered questions from O'Reilly. Greg and Sara were running in and out of the house, bags of evidence in hand. Hazarding a quick glance over at Jim, Greg and Sara felt for him. 

"This sucks; as soon as he's happy, something happens to take that away from him." Greg said

"She's not dead yet, Greg. They don't really even know what's happened here." Sara replied

As Jim tried to compose himself, O'Reilly took his time, seeing that he was in a fragile state.

"Now, you said that when you got here, the door was open"  
"Yeah, it was. I nudged it open further and that's when I saw the mess on the floor. It looked like she might have struggled with someone." he explained

"Did you touch anything other than her?" he asked

"Puh-leeze." Jim snapped

"Ok, after you checked her pulse, what did you do"  
"I cleared the rest of the house, then went back to her. A few minutes later, the ambulance showed up."

Looking down at his notepad, O'Reilly sighed.

"Ok, needless to say, you've got to be off this case, due to it's personal nature. Jim, did you hear me"

Jim was drifting, his thoughts focused on Cyan and their little argument the other day. Seeing that Jim was not 100 percent, O'Reilly placed his hand on Jim's arm, shaking slightly.

"Jim, did you hear me"  
"Yeah, I heard you. Can I go now?" he asked

"Yeah, you can go"  
"Thanks." Jim said, walking to his car

Climbing behind the wheel of his car, Jim was startled by a knock on his window. Rolling it down, he growled.

"What"  
"Where are you going, Jim?" Catherine asked

"Where do you think I'm going"  
"Ok, just keep your phone on." she said, assertively

All during the drive to the hospital, Jim's thoughts were on Cyan and how he felt sort of responsible for her accident. He thought that if he hadn't accused her, she might not have gone with Grissom and gotten injured, and then she would have been at work instead of being at home and this might never have happened. Blowing through a red light, he was nearly broadsided by a pick up truck. He shook the negative thoughts from his head, realizing that if he didn't focus on the road, he might end up in hospital along with her.

Pulling into a spot reserved for police vehicles, Jim jumped out and headed inside. As he walked down the halls, he was stopped at the nurse's station.

"I'm sorry, sir. You can't go back there"  
"I'm looking for someone that was just brought in. She's about 25 and she had some head trauma." he explained

"What's her name?" the nurse asked

Realizing that he didn't know Cyan's last name, Jim fudged.

"Brass, Cyan Brass. She's my wife." he said softly

For a brief moment, the nurse disappeared and when she returned, she had papers in hand. Handing them to Jim, she explained.

"I'll need you to fill these out and return them to me." she said

"Is she ok? When can I see her?" he asked, scribbling the information down

"She's in surgery right now, she's got a head laceration as well as some facial fractures and some torso damage. She's stable, but it'll still be a while, yet." she continued

"Let me know the minute she's out. I need to see her." he ordered

The nurse nodded her understanding and went back to her previous task. Jim took the clip board and forms to the family waiting room and filled them out while he waited. Since he really had no idea as to her specifics, Jim put Cyan down as being on his insurance policy as well as him being her next of kin. No sooner had he signed his name on the insurance form, his cell rang. Fumbling with the pen, he flipped it open and answered.

"Brass"  
"Jim, this is Gil."

Gil was the last person he wanted to hear from right then, but talking to somebody was better than talking to no one, so he did his best to stay calm as he talked with him.

"What's the matter? I got a call from Greg saying that there was an accident. ADD's in hospital"  
"Yeah, Sam sent her home from work and near as I can tell, that's when she was attacked." Jim said

"She went in to work? She's got a sprained wrist." Gil gasped

"Yeah, well, you said it yourself, she's got an amazing work ethic"  
"Do you want me to come over?" he asked

"If you like. She's in surgery right now. Apparently, she's got some head trauma and some facial fractures. They don't know when she'll be out." he explained

"I'll be there soon." Gil said, hanging up

Truth be told, he really didn't want Gil there right now, but this might prove to be good, in that he might be able to ask him of his intentions toward Cyan. Jim stood up and delivered the forms to the nurse, then returned to his seat. After about twenty minutes, Gil showed up, crutches and all. Hobbling down the hall, he asked after Jim and was pointed to his location. Standing in the doorway, he cleared his throat and gave a lopsided grin. Jim picked up his head and looked up at his friend. Grissom hopped over to Jim and took the seat next to him. Placing his hand atop Jim's, he squeezed lightly.

"I know this is hard, Jim. I'm sure she'll be fine. She's a trooper." he said, by way of consolation Glancing over at him, Jim frowned.

"Gil, what's your relationship to her?" Jim asked, painfully

Not believing his ears, but at the same time, not surprised, Gil answered promptly. Gil and Cyan had been spending a lot of time together as of late and being that Jim was clearly interested in the young lady, Gil felt that a certain amount of duty was called for in explaining their relationship, such as it was. So, organizing his thoughts, he spilled.

"She's a friend, nothing more. She's a great conversational companion, but camaraderie is as far as it goes with she and I. Besides, I know you like her, and I would never intentionally do anything to get in the way of that." he explained

"She's angry with me for accusing her the other day." Jim said, softly

"I know. I told her that it was me that put doubt into your mind, and she made me promise to "fix it". She really likes you, Jim." he said, flatly

About an hour later, the doctor came out and stopped at the nurse's station, where he was directed to the family waiting room. Standing in the doorway, he announced his presence. Looking up, Jim shot out of his seat.

"Mr. Brass, your wife is fine. She's got multiple contusions, lacerations and fractures to her face, chest and back and her major facial laceration was kind of on the nasty side; we had to do some subcutaneous sutures, but apart from that, she should be fine. Did you know that she was here earlier for a fractured wrist?" he asked

"Yeah, she was here with me." Gil piped in

"Oh, ok. Well, her injuries not withstanding, she's in fair shape. She's still under anesthesia, but when she comes around, I'm sure she'll receive visitors."

"Thanks, doc." Gil said, simply

After the doctor left, Jim and Gil discussed the events of that morning including his and Cyan's trip to the woods and their injuries. Gil relayed her proficiency in treating his ankle and the way she improvised a splint from the straps from the back pack.

"She knew exactly what she was doing. She stripped that pack like someone that had done it hundreds of times before. She was quick, too. I think all in all, it only took about a minute or so." he said, thoughtfully

"What are you suggesting"  
"I don't know. I guess I'm just thinking aloud." he replied

"I can't wait any longer; I'm gonna try and find her." Jim said, standing up

"Ok, I'm heading back to the lab and see what they've come up with." Gil stated

Grissom had taken a cab back to the lab in order to oversee the progress being made on the case. As he made his way down the hall, he was met by Greg with some very strange news. Ushering him into his office, Grissom sat at his desk while Greg told him what they'd found out.

"Well, the door knob had been wiped clean as well as the vase that was on the floor. Blood found at the scene came up as "Cyan Exeter Oxford", born July 3rd 1972, that's ADD's real name. Kind of cute, huh, named after two of the best colleges in the world. She's got papers, too." Greg said, flipping through a small stack of papers. "1990-2002, she was in the Army Special Forces, the details of her service are classified, but I can tell you that she's listed as being on "inactive" duty, which, as I understand it, means that she could be called back at any time for any reason. Pity, really. Jim's not gonna like hearing that. She was transferred, at her own request, and worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital as a crisis counselor. 6 months ago, she moved out here, and she's been a personal assistant ever since. We did some digging into this "Julian"  
character, and it turns out that they were in service at the same time; in different branches, of course. He was stationed out here at Nellis Air Force Base until about a year and a half ago, at which time, he was dishonourably discharged for untreated substance abuse while on duty. He was high as a kite and blew up a guard shack. He was diagnosed as being a paranoid schizophrenic, and he's on meds. That's all we could find out."

Staring at Greg with his mouth hanging open, Grissom was momentarily speechless.

"All you could find out? Greg, this is amazing. Well, at least that explains her proficiency in handling our injuries today. She stripped that back pack like a pro; using the straps to splint my ankle." he said, thoughtfully

"Yeah, well, I knew she was special, but this just beats all." he commented

"Let's get O'Reilly to bring Julian in for questioning." Gil said with urgency

Just then, Nick came barreling down the hall and skidded to a stop in Grissom's doorway. Papers in hand, he tried to catch his breath before explaining himself. Bending over, his hands braced on his knees, he calmed himself somewhat.

"Griss, I found a commonality." he said, breathing heavily

"Well, what is it?!??" Gil snapped

"I viewed the media coverage of the gawkers from the Hovel, the scene near Brass's and the Tangiers, and I found the same guy at all three scenes. Now, I couldn't get a clear look at his face at any of the scenes because he was wearing a balaclava, but he's got a tattoo on the back of his left hand; Chinese characters symbolizing Heaven and Earth"

Back at the hospital, Jim was at Cyan's bedside, her hand in his. For lack of a better word, he was asleep, breathing softly. Opening her eyes, she looked down at him and with her free hand, she rubbed his short hair, her hand tingling. Opening his eyes, Jim lifted his head and she could see his tear streaked cheeks. Jim was a strong man, no doubt, but seeing him fragile and emotionally open like this made her smile. She winced as she felt the pain of her stitches and bruises. Looking into her bleary eyes, Jim wiped the tears away on his shirt sleeve.

"Don't cry, Cappie." she said softly, pain evident in her voice

"Oh, hun. I'm so sorry." he said softly

"It's not your fault. You weren't even there"  
"I know. I should have been there. I'm so sorry."

Standing up and placing a hand on her bandaged cheek, he leaned in and placed a tender kiss on her swollen lips. The shock was searing and immediate as she recoiled. Taking her free hand and feeling her face, she felt the bandages on her head and the stitches on her lips and eye. Focusing her eyes and looking around, she managed one sentence.

"Get me a mirror."

Not wanting to aggravate her any more than she already was, Jim hesitated.

"You look beautiful; just a bit banged up, that's all." he said

"A mirror, Cappie; please." she pleaded

Looking around and seeing no such thing as a mirror, Jim fiddled with her tray table. Sliding the top back, a small mirror popped up and stared her in the face. Looking at her reflection, she lightly touched her dressings and as she lifted the bandage over her eye, she saw the remnants of her altercation. Her face was swollen, her left eye had three inches of stitches above it and her lips were sutured in some places. As she touched the bruises left by her facial fractures and cuts, tears streamed down her face. Turning away from Jim, she groaned.

"Leave me alone." she said softly

"Hun, you're fine, You'll heal. Its only a few cuts and bruises. You're beautiful." he said in protest

"I said leave me be, James." she growled, rolling over onto her tender side

Jim stood up and walked out of her room, closing the door behind him. In the hall, he broke down. Sliding down the wall and crouching into a kneeling ball, he sobbed like he had never done before. Jim was never really one to cry, not even when everyone else was. The last time he cried, even slightly, was the last time he saw Ellie, and those were tears of hurt and regret. These tears were of emotional pain and anger, welling up from within him all at once. He was not a vindictive or vengeful man, but right there and then, in the corridor, he swore he would find who was responsible and make them pay. Add to that the fact that she'd NEVER called him James before, he knew that the road ahead would be rough for a while and that she was serious about wanting to be left alone.

Back in her room, Cyan was slowly and methodically removing her bandages. As she removed the last bandage, she saw, in full force, the real and true extent of her wounds. Her eyes filled with tears as she saw her battered and broken reflection staring back at her. In her anger and her rage, she balled up her good fist and brought it down upon the mirror in front of her; glass shattering and flying everywhere.

Out in the hall, Jim heard the breaking glass and jumped up, running into her room. When he stopped at her bedside, he saw the blood and glass all over her bedclothes. Taking a handkerchief from his pocket, he took her hand in his and wrapped it up, tying a small square knot in closing and kissing her fingers. The look of confusion on his face spoke volumes as Cyan lay on her side, sobbing. Moving the damaged table aside, Jim sat on her bedside and turned her face to see him.

"I promise, whoever did this is living on borrowed time." he said emphatically

"Don't bother." she said simply

"Then you know who it was?" he asked, changing his posture

Cyan said nothing, but just pulled the sheets up over her head and fell back to sleep. About half an hour later, Jim moved from her bedside to the chair next to her bed. Gently and carefully, he peeled the sheets back to reveal her battered and torn face. She was undoubtedly asleep, and as Jim placed a light kiss on the suture above her eye, he pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open.

In the A/V lab, Grissom's cell phone went off. Leaning back from the monitors, he stretched his stiff limbs and answered his phone.

"Grissom"  
"Gil, this is Jim. Any news yet?" he asked

"Yeah, we've got a bit. How's Cyan?"

Hearing her real name escape Grissom's lips made Jim wonder what else they had found out while he was by her side. He would ask that question later, but right now, he was focused on finding out what new discoveries they had made.

"She's fine. She's pretty well banged up and very upset, but I think she'll be fine, given time." he said

Against his better judgment, Gil spilled the details of Greg and Nick's findings. As Jim listened to Gil tell him about her military service and her inactive duty status as well as their findings about "Julian", Jim flushed with confusion. He wondered why she would keep something as illustrious as a distinguished military career secret, but given what had just happened, he'd wait and let her tell him when she was ready.

Standing at the nurse's station, Jim got a hold of an attending and took them aside.

"My name is Captain Jim Brass, I'm with homicide. My wife is in the room at the end of the hall. The moment she wakes, I'd like you to call me. If she asks after me, let her know that I've gone out for a bit, but that I'll be back soon." he directed

"Is your mobile number on the paperwork?" she asked

"Yes, it is. Thanks." Jim said, turning to leave

In his car, Jim was torn by whether he really should leave her alone or if he should stay until she woke next. His sense of duty won out as he turned the ignition and backed out of his spot. Driving down Main Street, he watched as the freaks and geeks of society mingled on the sidewalks of Las Vegas.

Pulling into the lab lot, he was greeted immediately by Grissom, who was outside for God knows what reason. As they walked inside and went to Gil's office, they talked quietly. Once they reached Gil's domain, Jim closed the door behind them and sat across from his desk. His head in his hands, Jim sighed.

"She knows who it was that attacked her, but won't tell me." Jim said

"Is that so?" Gil asked

"Yeah. She's really banged up. She asked me for a mirror and when I gave one to her, she broke it, injuring her good hand. I wonder why she'd protect her attacker." Jim theorized aloud

"Well, just give her some time, I'm sure she'll come around. She's no idiot. She'll realize that it does more harm then good to protect whoever it was." Gil replied

"So, is Nick making any headway with the tapes?" he asked

"Well, Nick had identified a tattoo. The same tattoo is at the Hovel, the Tangiers and the scene near your house. Thing is, he can't get a clear image of the guy's face." Gil said,

"Well, you've got your best people working on it. They'll come up with something. What came from the processing of the house" he asked nervously

"The door knob had been wiped clean. The Book of the Dead hasn't come back with any known prints yet. That's pretty much all we know, right now." he said

"Ok, well, if anything new comes up, I'll be in my office." Jim said, standing up and heading for the door

In his office, Jim scrolled through e-mail messages and when he came to one from Cyan, he swallowed hard and opened it. His eyes teared again as he read the message.

"Cappie, I'm truly sorry for overreacting the other day. I was totally out of line. After all, you were only doing your job; and we both know that you're very, very good at your job. If you're so inclined, you're more than welcome to come over tonight for dinner. Have a good day. Hugs, Cyan."

Reaching into his desk drawer, he pulled a tissue out and blew his nose. No sooner had he thrown the tissue in the garbage, than his cell phone rang. Pulling it out, he recognized the number as being from the hospital. Flipping it open, he answered.

"Brass"  
"Mr. Brass, this is Nurse Wilder from Desert Palms. Um, did you remove your wife from the premises? "  
"God, no. Why? She's gone?" he demanded

"Yes, it would appear that way"  
"How do you lose a patient? What'd she do, just get up and walk out?" he snapped

"Well, we have her on tape leaving her room and now she's gone." she explained

"Ok, thanks for calling. I appreciate it." he said, hanging up

Standing up and rushing down the hall, Jim stopped outside Grissom's office, popping his head in to let him know what was up.

"She's gone AWOL." he said

"She left the hospital? How? What'd she do, just get up and walk out?" Gil asked, turning his attention from Greg

"I'm going to her place. If she's gone anywhere, she's probably there, but most likely not for long. Probably just long enough to grab some clothes and find a hotel room. She wouldn't want to stay at her place tonight. Would she?" Jim wondered aloud

"What about your place? Would she go there?" Greg asked

"Doubtful, besides, she obviously doesn't want me to know she's gone or she would have called me." Jim replied

Rushing down the hall and out of the lab, Jim jumped into his car and floored it to Cyan's house. When he got there, Grissom's truck was gone and the door was locked. So, he climbed out of his car and approached the house, nudging the door with the tip of his foot. Not surprisingly, the door had been locked, so he went around to the side of the house and looked at the window of the guest room. He had opened it when he was there the other day and was praying that it was still unlocked. Reaching his hand up, he smiled as he felt the gap between the panes. He balanced himself on the spigot that jutted out from the foundation of the house and wiggled his way in through the window. Once inside, he did a quick visual sweep of the place and went back to the guestroom. Opening the wardrobe, he found the strong box that he had seen two days prior, and as he looked around for a key, he remembered the dish on the dresser in her room. Running next door, he grabbed the keys from the dish and rushed back to the strong box. Opening the box, he shouted his curses as he looked into the void depths of it.

Picking up the empty box and heaving it across the room, the sound of impact was deafening as it collided with the high backed rocking chair in the corner. He flipped the light on and looked at the damage and cursed aloud.

"Where the hell is she?"

Leaving the guestroom, he went into the bedroom next and turned the light on. His attention was drawn to a slip of paper that was not there earlier. Opening it up, he read it.

"Cappie, if you're here, reading this, then you know I've left. I'm truly and deeply sorry for any inconvenience that I've caused you or the guys at the lab. I really like you guys and in a different world, things might have worked out between you and I. With you, I've lived and loved, and if only for a week; this has been the happiest week of my life. When I woke in your arms the other day, I felt like I'd finally come home, but the events of these last 24 hours prove to me that home is not as safe as it used to be. I wish you love and happiness in your life, for you deserve nothing less. Currently, I cannot offer you what you need, and maybe one day I could, but as of now, its back to the solitary life for me. As King Lear said: "I'll tell thee. Life and Death! I am ashamed." My dear, James, there will always be a place in my heart for you that will never be usurped by another. In my life, for my heart and my soul, you were my close friend. Now, there is a searing pain, where our friendship once lived."

Reading this letter, Jim teared slightly, and folding the letter, he placed it in his pocket. He stood on the front porch and pulled out his cell phone. While waiting for someone to answer the line, he racked his brain. Finally, he heard a voice.

"Gil, this is Jim. She's gone missing and she's got your truck." Jim said

"No, my truck is here, I just picked my keys up from Wendy. Apparently, Cyan dropped them off and left." he explained

"How long ago was this"  
"Just after you left, so, that's about half an hour to forty five minutes." Grissom replied

"If she dropped your truck off, then how did she get to where she's going?" Jim asked

"I don't know, Jim." Gil replied simply

"I'm concerned. She made references to handling this mess on her own and her side arm is missing." Jim explained

Closing his phone, Jim tried to think of where she could have gone to. The odds of her being at his place were slim to none, but as it was really the only place he could think of that she'd go to, he rushed out of the house and jumped into his car, flooring it over to his house. Driving like a man possessed, he nearly had at least two accidents in the four or so blocks to his house. Coming to a screeching stop at a 4 way stop sign, he banged his fists on his steering wheel. From the intersection, he could see that his porch light was on, and he knew that he didn't do it, so he passed through the intersection, slowly pulled up in front of his house and cautiously climbed out of his car, his weapon drawn.

Taking a look at his door, Jim saw no signs of forced entry, so he pulled out his house keys and unlocked the door. Stepping inside, he noticed the small lamp by the front door was on and upon further inspection, he noticed that the phone on the coffee table was not where he had left it. It looked as though someone had sat down on the couch and pulled the phone towards them. Taking his pen from jacket pocket, he pressed the caller id button, and when he did, two new outgoing calls came up; one to a long distance number and another to a local number. Pulling a sheet of scrap paper from the note pad by the phone, he scribbled down both numbers. Pressing the speaker phone button, then the redial button he listened as the phone dialed the last number called. Seconds later, a voice came on the line.

"Tangiers Hotel and Casino, how can I help you?"

Hearing this, Jim hung up and made to leave. Behind the door, by the wall, he noticed a package on the floor. Kneeling down, he shifted it, and feeling the light weight, he picked it up and turned it over in his hands. It was a soft sort of package wrapped in black and blue tissue paper with a cobalt blue ribbon holding it closed. Tearing the paper from the package, he smiled when he saw that it was a t-shirt. Pulling it free, he held it up and grinned as he read it.

"I'm not a good shot, but my gun uses really big bullets"

As he folded the shirt back up, he noticed a small piece of paper at his feet. Picking it up, he read it.

"Cappie, I wanted you to have this before I left. Wear it well and in good memory. Cyan"

Driving the brightly lit neon streets of Las Vegas in the middle of the night, anyone could tell that this city was alive in every sense of the word. From the prostitutes on Freemont Street to the fake ID sellers walking the length of the strip, this city had a way of attracting all sorts; not just bad, but in a lot of ways it was so. As Jim neared the Tangiers, he thought about that he would say to Cyan if and when he saw her, if she'd see him and if not, what he would have to do or say in order to get to her. He envisioned her being scared, and maybe that's why she called the casino, knowing that it was Sam's place and knowing that there were cameras all over the place.

He climbed out of his car and gave the keys to the valet and taking his ticket, he walked inside. As soon as he set foot in the joint, he was met by Sam Braun, with a poop eating grin on his face.

"Mr. Brass, what brings you here at this time of night, and without your cohorts?" he asked smugly

"Sam, I'm looking for Cyan. I know she called here, so what room is she in?" he asked in assertive tones "She's pretty shook up. Personally, I think maybe she should be in hospital, but she assured me that she'll be fine. I'm just trying to look after her; someone should." he said, eyeing Jim

"Is she here or isn't she?" Jim snapped

Reaching into his pants pocket, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed hers. As he waited for her to pick up, he paced back and forth. Sam watched as Jim wore holes in the carpeting and just glared at him. Letting the phone ring for a few cycles, Jim slammed it shut and jammed it into his pocket. Turning to Sam, he growled.

"I swear, Sam, if I find out she's here"  
"Look, I wish I could tell you something useful, Captain Brass..." Sam interrupted

Turning and huffing, Jim stormed out of the casino and to his car. He paced some more while the valet took his time returning with his vehicle. When his car finally was brought around, Jim stiffed him on his tip and just climbed behind the wheel. Flooring it away from the casino, he headed back to the lab, post haste.

Back at the lab, Jim caught Grissom hobbling down the hall along with Greg, who was just returning from the field. Speed in his stride and a frustrated look on his face, he walked up to Gil.

"Let me ask you, do we know where Cyan is from, I mean, where she lived before she joined up." Jim asked

"Let's ask Nick, maybe he can dig something up."

In the A/V lab, Nick was hard at work punching away at the keys of the terminal he was at. Grissom and Jim made their presence known as they passed through the door way.

"Nick, can we find out where Cyan's roots are?" Gil asked

"Sure thing. Let me see..." he said, changing databases

Looking over the screen and sifting through all sorts of records, Nick took his glasses off and leaned forward to get a better look at the screen. After a few moments, he snapped back and gave a "Woo Hoo". Taking notice of the young man's exclamation, Grissom and Jim pulled up stools and plopped their butts down. Pointing to a particular spot on the screen, he smiled.

"Winnemucca. That's up state, if I'm not mistaken." he said

"Yeah, let's bring up a map, if we could, Nick." Gil directed

Depressing several buttons, Nick brought up a map of the state of Nevada. Looking down at the letter, Jim read to himself.

"Let's see, Winnemucca is kind of in the middle of nowhere, but around it is Orovada, Golconda, Paradise Valley, King Lear Peak, Imlay..."

"Wait, go back." Jim said, interrupting

"Paradise Valley, King Lear Peak, Imlay." Nick repeated

"That's it; King Lear. Where's that?" Jim asked, straightening up

Tracing a line on the screen, Nick pointed to it.

"Its between Winnemucca and Big Mountain, near Black Rock Desert. Go to Tonopah, then head north west to Fallon and take that right into Winnemucca, then follow the signs." he said, pointing at the screen

Looking closely at the screen, Jim took down some route notes and when he was done, he looked over to Grissom who had his nose virtually pressed up to the keyboard.

"I'm heading out. If there's anything that comes up, just give me a call, although I'm not sure what sort of reception I'll get in the mountains." he said, getting up

Hours later and as Jim entered Winnemucca, he saw no signs that would direct him to King Lear Peak. So, pulling over at a small country store, he climbed out and went inside. It was around 06:00hrs, and Jim was not surprised that the place would be open this early, as things in the country had a different way of working out. Seeking out a cup of coffee and a danish, he stood at the cash counter. From a back room, a short elderly man appeared and rung up Jim's purchases. Fishing through his wallet, he enquired as to the area.

"My name is Jim Brass, and I'm with the Las Vegas police department. I'm looking for someone, maybe you can help me." he said, flashing his badge

"You're a long way from Las Vegas, mister." the old man replied

"Yeah, well, we're still in Nevada, so, as I said, maybe you can help me." he asserted

"I'll see what I can do"  
"I'm looking for a woman, about 25 years or so. She's 5 foot 9 inches, with blue/green eyes, very athletic with curly brown hair." he explained

"What, there aren't enough women in Vegas; you've got to come all the way out here?" he joked

"Very funny...No. She would have passed through here a few hours or so ago on her way to King Lear Peak. Are there any cabins or anything like that up there?"

"Well, there are vacation homes; the Mason's, the Cliffley's, the Lecter's, the Krueger's, the Dorland's; take your pick. There are about two dozen of them, but I haven't seen any of the owners in a while. You might just want to take a drive up the logging road. The logging road leads to almost all of the houses up there. For a lot of them, you've got to park and walk a bit; some half an hour and others more. I'll warn you, though, some of the owners don't cotton much to uninvited guests, so just watch your step." he explained

"Thanks." Jim said, plopping a five dollar bill on the counter

As soon as he left the store, the old man picked up the phone and dialed. If Jim were inside, he would have heard the brief conversation.

"Hey, Ox. You got a visitor"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Hopping back in his car, Jim followed the signs for the logging road and after about twenty minutes he started wondering if the old man was just having him on or if there really were houses up there off the logging road. Just as he was about to turn around, he saw a large flat black late model Chevy Suburban. Wondering who's it was, he noticed a couple of things; one was the plate on the back, which read "3M-TA3". He had just passed it when he looked in his side view mirror, re-reading the plate, he laughed aloud.

"EAT-ME", huh? That's rich."

The second thing he noticed was a bumper sticker that simply read, "It All Depends On Your Preference; Reality Or Perception. I Prefer Perception. "

Both of these things struck Jim as being very much like Cyan, from what he knew of her. Backing up and parking next to the truck, he climbed out and looked at the inside of the vehicle. Flashlight in hand, he shone his light in through the dark tinted windows and saw evidence of a hasty departure on the seats. There was a holster, a duffel bag, several bottles of water, MRE's and a US Cavalry catalog with several pages dog eared. His attention was drawn to an open box of buck shots on the passenger seat and another open box of single shots next to it.

He made sure his shoes were tied and his side arm at the ready as he looked down the dirt path. Glancing down at his watch, he noted the time and began his trek. Through the woods, he had to climb over fallen trees and under branches from Evergreens. Some parts of the path were overgrown and at times, he had to step off of it to avoid trudging through puddles of standing rain water. After about forty five minutes of being smacked in the face by branches and thorns, he stopped to check the time.

Looking up to the sky, he noticed smoke billowing from a chimney that couldn't be more than a couple hundred yards from his current position. A smile on his face, he increased his speed and began to run. Just then, his foot caught on something and as he bent down to look at what it was, he heard a stick crack somewhere in the distance. At his foot was a thin metal wire extending from between two trees on opposite ends of the path. Taking it in hand and chuckling to himself, he mumbled.

"Trip wires. I wonder what else she's got out here."

Just then, as he stood up, he felt and heard something whizzing by his face, whipping his head around, he saw an arrow lodged in the bark of a tree no more than two feet from where he stood. His eyes popped wide open and he stumbled over the words he wanted to say. However, he was not the first to speak.

"Whoever you are, you're not welcome and you're trespassing on private property, so unless you'd like another fly by, I suggest you leave."

Pulling out his badge and holding it up in the air, he announced himself.

"I'm with the Las Vegas police department." he shouted

"Drop your weapon on the ground and kick it aside"  
"I can't do that." he called back

"I've got the advantage, sir. Do it!!"

Reaching inside his jacket, he pulled out his gun and set it on the ground at his feet. Very slowly and carefully, he kicked it to the side and stood, hands in the air. He could hear foot steps approaching from his right side, and as the figure came into clear view, he saw why they were so adamant with their orders. Cyan wore dark wrap around sunglasses, but Jim could see the bruising all the same. Her face was swollen and her left eye had swelled shut. When she walked, she favoured her left side and had a slight limp. As she came closer, she realized who it was that had come calling. She was dressed in camouflage BDU's and jump boots, in one hand she had a hunting bow and in the other was her Glock, trained on him.

"Cappie, is that you?" she asked, shouldering her bow, holstering her gun and lifting her shades up

"Yeah, its me." he said, relieved

"I'm so sorry, Pappy didn't say who it was. He just said I had a visitor." she said softly

"Why did you leave?" he asked, wanting to ask more, but not wanting to prod

"You shouldn't be here. Its not safe for you." she replied

"And it is for you? Look at yourself, you can barely walk." he said, extending a helping hand

"I can walk well enough." she stated

"Come on, let's get you inside." he directed as he guided her

Up the hill and having reached the cabin, Jim set her down on one of the porch chairs and went inside to use the bathroom. Minutes later, when he came back out, Cyan was shooting arrows at a nearby tree. When she heard him come up behind her, she flinched. Seeing this, Jim kneeled beside her, placing his hand on her knee.

"Why did you run?" he asked simply

"That's what I do. I've never been able to stay in one place for very long." she explained

"Come back home. I promise, we'll find Julian"  
"Why are you looking for Julian?" she asked

"He's the one that attacked you, right"  
"No, he was the one the police were supposed to call. He's like my brother. He'd want to know that I was in hospital. He'd worry. He was there just before I was attacked." she replied, looking at Jim with her one good eye

"You didn't even stay long enough to get your pain killers." he stated

"I'm better off without them." she replied

"So, you're going to live out here, in pain?" he snapped

"Pain is merely psychological, Jim and scars are just souvenirs." she mused

"That's very philosophical of you, Cyan. But why don't you come home and we'll deal with this crap together."

"Are you going to stay with me until this guy is caught? Huh,? Are you going to protect me?" she fired back "You can't stay out here in the sticks for the rest of your life." he said firmly "Besides, there are people that care about you, back home. Grissom's got his whole crew working on your case."

"I really should get back, shouldn't I? I mean, Sam's gonna wonder where I am. I'm afraid I didn't think this evasion thing through very well." she replied with a slight giggle

"Then its settled, then. You'll stay with me until we get this bastard." he offered

"That's not necessary, I mean, I'll have to go back to my place sometime, right"  
"Good, let's get you packed and head back home." he said, cheer evident in his voice

It was around 08:00hrs and Grissom was still at the lab working the case. Everyone save for Greg had gone home and as he sat in DNA, he jacked up the volume on his boom box. Going through the blood samples from Cyan's house, he was working on the second sample that had yet to be identified.

"So, Greg, what do we have?" Gil asked from the doorway

"Well, the second sample hasn't been identified. Whoever it belongs to isn't in our system." he replied

"Well, since Julian is gone, this is all we've got to go on. Well, that and Nick's mystery tattooed guy."

Just then, Gil's cell phone rang and as he fished it out of his pocket, he turned to Greg and told him to keep working. Hobbling down the hall, he could be heard talking to Brass.

"You found her"  
"Yeah, she was up state. She's right here, asleep, and we're coming home. Do me a favour and stay with her while I go to Sam's and let him know she's going to be out of commission for a while. We should be back by noon." Jim said softly so as not to wake Cyan

"Ok. Should I go to your place?" he asked

"Yeah, you've still got the key, right"  
"Yeah, I do"  
"Ok, thanks"

It was around midday when Jim and Cyan got back into town and as they pulled into Jim's drive, Gil came out to the porch to greet them. Opening her door and seeing that she was nowhere near waking up, Jim unbuckled her and lifted her from the car, carrying her inside.

Inside the house, Jim put her down in his room, as the guestroom had become a sort of dropping off point for mail, packages, his old computer and other clutter that he didn't want house guests to see. Helping Jim get Cyan settled, Gil pulled back the bedclothes and removed her boots and socks, dropping them on the floor beside the bed. Whispering, Gil drew Jim's attention to her bruises and wounds.

"Should we see about getting her some pain killers?" he asked, pointing to her

"She said she won't take them. I guess we can get some and leave it up to her. I'll go by the hospital"  
"Ok, I'll be here. I've got a bunch of stuff in the truck if you need me here for a couple of days"  
"I don't believe that's necessary, but thanks." Jim replied

Leaving the room and closing the door behind them, Gil and Jim talked briefly before he would leave for the Tangiers. Jim relayed the details of him finding Cyan and her little get away in the mountains of northern Nevada. Gil thought it particularly precious how she had gotten him to relinquish his weapon and how she had dead on aim even with one eye swollen shut.

"You're lucky she didn't pierce your ear. You say she was taking pot shots at a tree with a hunting bow"  
"Yeah and if she shoots that well with only one eye, I'd love to see her aim with both of them." Jim joked

Taking his keys in hand, Jim walked back out to his car and climbed behind the wheel. As he drove through town he thought about what he would say to Sam when he saw him. Should he apologize for being so gruff earlier? Should he keep his mouth shut and say nothing at all?

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Stepping inside the casino, Jim saw Sam coming from across the room with a very smug expression on his face. Reaching in and unbuttoning his suit jacket, Sam swaggered his way over to where Jim was standing.

"Well, Captain, three visits in almost as many days, I'm flattered"  
"Agh, can it, Sam. Cyan's going to be out for a while. Now, I know she's going to get stir crazy, so is there any work that she needs to do?" Jim asked

"Like I'd trust you with my records. Where's she staying, and I'll have them sent over." he offered

"She's at my place and she will be for a while." Jim replied flatly

"And all of Las Vegas knows where that is?" Sam prodded

"Yeah, I'm an idiot. Just have someone follow me"  
"It'll take a few minutes to get everything together." Sam replied

"Ok, I'll be back in an hour or so, I've got to go by the mall and pick up some stuff. I'll call you when I'm on my way back here." he explained

"Ok"

Over at the mall, Jim was a bit overwhelmed by all the stores and clothing choices. It had been quite some time since he'd shopped at Old Navy, Britches or Abercrombie and Fitch, not to mention Victoria's Secret. At the former stores, he picked up some jeans, t-shirts, flannels, socks and a pair of boots for her. But Victoria's Secret was another story, he was literally smacked in the face by pairs of slinky under things and night clothes. Red in the face, Jim picked out several pairs of satin and lace undies and two sports bras and three lacy numbers. When he reached the register, he was surprised to see the total of his purchases, but he had recognized the labels on Cyan's clothes and wanted her to be comfortable.

Bags in hand, Jim made his way across the parking lot and to his car. Popping the trunk, he tossed the bags in and pulled out his cell phone, calling Sam Braun. The conversation was brief and to the point, consisting no more than five words from both parties. When he pulled up in front of the Tangiers, he saw Sam out front talking to one of his men, pointing to Jim's car. Coming to a full stop, Jim rolled down his window.

"Are we ready?" he called out

"Yeah." Sam said, closing his man's car door

As Cyan slept, Gil checked in on her periodically. In the time since Jim had left, she had rolled over twice and woken up once due to the pain of her injuries. At present, Gil sat up, leaning against the headboard of Jim's bed, his left arm draped around Cyan as she slept. She had woken an hour earlier in a frantic state, saying that she had had a nightmare. She had screamed and Gil rushed to her side. So, now he sat, half asleep himself, waiting for Jim to come home. In her sleep, she had snuggled up to Grissom's legs, wrapping her left around his knees.

Outside, Jim was just returning home, shopping bags in hand followed by one of Sam's men that carried several boxes of paperwork. As Jim pulled his house keys from his pocket, he looked over his shoulder and directed the man to place the boxes on the front porch.

"Sorry Captain, Mr. Braun wants to see that she's alright." he stated

"And how's he gonna do that? Hmm? He's at work." Jim replied

"He just wants me to get a look at her, that's all, and let him know of her state." he explained

"Ok, then, come on in." Jim said, winded from carrying his purchases

Jim nudged the door open with the toe of his shoe and as the door swung open, he looked around for Grissom. Unable to locate him, Jim dropped the bags by the front door and proceeded to the master bedroom where he found Gil and Cyan asleep. He was momentarily flushed with confusion but figured there had to be a perfectly valid reason that his friend was in bed with his lady love. Coming up behind Jim, Sam's man poked his head in the door and when he saw the two asleep in each other's arms, he chuckled and gave Jim an awkward sort of grin.

"Well, they look mighty comfy"  
"Yeah, they do. Now, have you seen enough?" Jim snapped

"Yeah. Thanks, Captain." he replied, turning to leave

As the front door closed, Jim stood in the doorway, still looking at Gil and Cyan. They did look rather comfortable, maybe a bit too much so, Jim thought. Pulling himself away from the doorway, Jim sat on the couch in the living room and pulled the tags off of all the clothing and made his way to the utility room where he threw everything in the wash. The more he tried not to think of his friend and his female friend in each other's arms, the more he became agitated. Slamming the lid closed, Jim went to the kitchen for a stiff drink and some reflection.


	6. Chapter 6

Thursday 5PM 

As Gil opened his eyes, he realized that he was not at home. Not only that, but he was not alone either. Looking down and rubbing his eyes he saw Cyan, still snuggled up to him, her arm wrapped around his knees. Slowly and carefully, he lifted her arm up and set it on top of the covers beside her. Raising himself up off of the bed, he hobbled to the bathroom for a much needed bladder draining. Having finished his business Gil stepped out into the living room to find Jim on the couch watching a recorded hockey game. Plopping down beside him, Gil sighed.

"She slept most of the afternoon, save for when she woke up from a nightmare. She was frantic, man. I thought she was gonna cry, but she just asked me to keep her company and she fell back to sleep about 45 minutes later." Grissom explained

"Did she say what it was about?" Jim asked

"No, and I didn't pry. I just sat down and kept her company. Sorry bout' falling asleep. I realize that it must have looked rather suspect, but I assure you, all we did was sleep."

"That's alright. I'm not gonna grill you. You're a good friend, Gil. She's lucky to have you." Jim said

"Its you that she wants. After she woke up this last time, she kept asking after you"  
"Well, I'm home now. Did she eat or drink anything"  
"Nope, just some water."

Suddenly, there was a crash in the master bedroom. Jim and Gil jumped up and went to see what was wrong. Entering the room they didn't see her in bed like she was supposed to be. Crossing the floor and looking beside the bed on the floor, there she was; flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling, laughing uncontrollably. Rolling over and taking Gil's outstretched hand, she got to her knees and stood up.

Hobbling out of the bedroom and into the living room, she dropped down on the couch and held her side from her laughing. Following her, Jim and Gil stared at her with looks of complete and utter dumbfoundment on their faces. Sitting beside her on the couch, Jim placed a hand on her knee. Looking down, she smiled.

"Is there anything I can get you?" he asked

Looking up at Grissom, she didn't say what she wanted to say, in that she just wanted to curl up with Jim and be wrapped in his warmth, so she quickly thought something up.

"No, I'm cool. I just need to wake up is all." she said, rubbing her eyes

Just then, Gil's phone went off. Fishing for it, he growled.

"Its Catherine. There's been another one." Cyan said, looking up at him

Jim and Gil just stood in stunned silence. How could she know who it was, much less, what they wanted? As the phone kept ringing, Gil searched more furiously. Finally, he found it on the coffee table, just where he had left it. Flipping it open, he answered.

"Grissom"  
"Gil, this is Catherine. Even though you're on leave, I thought I'd let you know that we have another one." she said in quick breaths

"Where is it?" he asked

"At the body farm of all places." she said

"I'll be there in an hour." he said, closing his cell

Jim and Cyan looked over at Grissom with baited breath. After a few seconds, she spoke up.

"Well, was I right?" she asked

"Yeah, you were. Do you mind telling me how you knew who it was?" he asked with suspicion

"Its a gift." she said simply

"No shit." Jim stated

"Do you know where it is, too"  
"No, but its out of the way, isn't it?" she asked

Saying nothing, Grissom just snatched up his keys from the coffee table and made for the door. Seeing the look on Jim's face, Cyan knew that he wanted in on it. He was shifting his weight from one foot to the other and twiddling his fingers reflexivly. His eyes were wide and he looked like he was bursting at the seams.

"Go and play with your friends, Cappie." she said

Surprised, he looked down at her.

"Are you sure"  
"Yeah. I'm just gonna make something to eat and then lay back down. You got any dvd's around?" she asked

"Yeah, they're here." he said, walking to the entertainment centre and opening one of the glass doors "You're sure you'll be ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." she said, standing and ushering the two of them out onto the front porch

"Ok, we'll be back later." Jim said, halfway out the door

"Ok, have fun, and remember to play nice with the other children." she called to them

Unlocking the driver's door, Gil was about to hop behind the wheel, but Jim stopped him.

"How're you gonna drive, man? You gonna use your left foot?" Jim asked, taking the keys from Gil

"Good point. You drive." he said, hopping around the front of the truck

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arriving at the scene Jim and Gil jumped out of the truck and while Grissom hobbled down the trail, Jim grabbed Gil's kit from the boot of the truck. It was no challenge at all to catch up with Gil, as he was slower than molasses in the winter time. Coming up behind him, Jim chuckled.

"Slow down, man. They're not going anywhere"  
"I know, but I have a bad feeling about this one. That and I'm still trying to figure out how Cyan knew it was Catherine on the phone." he explained

"Well, there are only a few people that even use your cell number. But, maybe some things are just best left to the imagination." Jim replied

As the site came into better view, Jim and Gil could see that their mystery man had taken a great deal of care in how they left the body. It was nearly completely buried and that which was sticking out of the ground was mostly clean and fresh, almost as it had been cleaned post mortem. The victim was a near perfect example of the partial burial.

Kneeling beside the body, Gil watched as Nick and Greg brushed the dirt away from the corpse and as they completely uncovered it Gil swallowed hard. The victim was a young boy, no more than 13 or 14 years of age who looked as if he had been in a bit of a scrap as his knuckles were bloody and his face was a bit battered.

As David escorted the body back to the coroner's van, Jim turned to Gil who seemed to be in pain. Seeing that he was in a good amount of discomfort, Jim offered to take him back to his place. Ever the work horse, Gil declined the offer stating that he would be fine. Looking down at his watch, Jim sighed. It was well after midnight and given that he had spent most of the last two or so days either on his feet or driving, he decided to bail.

"Gil, I'm gonna head back home. I'm tired like you wouldn't believe." he said

"Ok. Get some rest." Gil replied

Heading back to the truck, Jim flipped open his phone and called home. There was no answer and Jim was a bit concerned. Hopping behind the wheel, he yanked the ignition and gassed it out of there. Driving the streets, he took notice of several buildings that were going up as well as some that were closed or vacant. He thought back to the little Italian place that he wanted to go to on his and Cyan's date and how he didn't realize it had closed down. Perceptiveness was part of his job and he didn't even notice that one of his joints was closed. What sort of detective would overlook something like that, he wondered.

Pulling the keys from his pocket, Jim slid it into the lock and turned. As he stepped inside, he saw that all the lights were off and everything was very, very silent. Crossing the living room, he took off his tie and tossed it on the couch. Heading for the bedroom, he could hear a slight breathing and he smiled as he looked down on her. Jim thought that she looked kind of Angelic when she slept. When she slept she glowed and the way she mumbled in her dreams was something that Jim thought was just entirely cute.

Untying his shoes and sliding them under the bed, he wiggled out of the rest of his clothing and threw it in the laundry hamper. Quietly padding across the room, he closed the bathroom door behind himself and went potty. Having relieved himself, he brushed his teeth and smiled at his reflection in the mirror. Giving himself a slightly lopsided smile, Jim turned the light off and walked over to the bed and the warm body awaiting him.

Lifting the covers and gently sliding beneath them, Jim thanked his lucky stars that his feet were not cold. If there was something that he hated in a partner it was one that climbed into bed with cold feet. Many a time had he been frozen out by cold tootsies and Cyan was a very warm sleeping companion. Jim snuggled up to her and as he inched his way closer, she rolled over and mumbled something that Jim couldn't quite make out. He lay still and waited for her to stop moving before he adjusted his position. Much to his pleasure, she had cozied up to his left side, wiggled her head to rest on his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his abdomen. As she settled herself in, Jim raised his arm to rest his hand on her shoulder. Warm and tired, he fell fast asleep.

Back at the lab, Grissom was in his office looking over evidence from the past few cases. He had Nick's notes about the mystery tattoo guy and as he read over them he got more and more frustrated. Taking his glasses off and setting them on his desk, he pinched the bridge of his nose and yawned. Leaning forward and resting his forehead on his desk he closed his eyes and told himself that it would only be for a few minutes...just a few minutes.

"Grissom. Hey, Griss."

Lifting his head and looking up, he saw Greg in his doorway looking as if he had ants in his pants.

"What's the matter, Greg?" Gil asked sleepily

"Its not a problem. Doc wants to see you. He found something in the vic." he said breathlessly

"Um, don't you mean on the vic, Greg?" Gil asked, standing up and yawning

"No. Doc was autopsying him and when he was under the imager, he found something lodged in his esophagus." Greg explained

Gil and Greg walked down the hall and when they hit DNA, Greg turned to Grissom.

"Oh, I forgot. I ran his prints through CODIS and came up with a sheet for one Ryan Deauxtreve. He's got a few counts of possession as well as some for petty theft and one for strong armed robbery." he stated

"Thanks, Greg." Gil said continuing down the hall

In the morgue, Gil had just entered and approached the slab when Robbins looked up and gave his usual cheerful smile. Reaching to a shallow dish beside him, Robbins handed it to Gil.

"I thought you'd like to see this. I have no idea what it is, but I know that this guys been leaving you little clues and such, so I thought this might be one of them." he explained

"Thanks, Doc." Grissom said, moving to another part of the room

A pair of tweezers in his hand, Gil placed the item under the lit magnifying glass and turned it over a few times. It was a narrow glass tube like those you get at gas stations with little silk roses in them. A lot of the time, people buy them, remove the roses and use them as crack pipes. Grissom thought about this as he looked into the glass tube. Inside, he could what looked like a small wad of copper Chore-Boy and some resin, as well as a slip of paper. Carefully, he inserted the nose of the tweezers and removed the rolled up slice of whatever. It was, indeed, a slip of paper, and as he unrolled it, he removed his glasses. Looking down at the note, he gave a growl.

"I need a vacation."

Picking up his cell phone, Gil dialed Greg.

In DNA, Greg was processing the second sample of blood from Cyan's house . He watched the Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer and anxiously tapped his pen on the table before him. Suddenly his phone rang and he flinched. Picking it out of his pocket,  
he coughed.

"Sanders"  
"Greg, this is Grissom. Can you process something for me"  
"Yeah, sure"  
"Good, I'll be by in a few minutes."

Just then, the GCMS spit out it's results. Picking the sheet of paper from the printer, he smiled.

"Oh, hey, Grissom?" he asked not sure if he'd hung up yet

"Yes, Greg"  
"We've got a hit on that second sample from Cyan's house. Its a guy named Alcott...Astor Alcott"  
"That's great. Do we know anything about him yet?" Grissom asked

"Give me a few minutes and I'll have everything from his rising sign to the colour of his jockey shorts"  
"That's what I like to hear, Greg." Gil replied

Minutes later, Grissom appeared in DNA and Greg took the note from the crack pipe and set it in a small dish. Carefully unfolding it, he proceeded to dust it for prints. Gil watched as Greg worked his magic and when he had lifted the only print that was there, he placed it in the scanner and leaned back to wait for the results. Grissom paced back and forth as the results were being processed and when the printer spit out the paper, they both jumped. Snatching it out of the tray, Greg read it. Grissom's face lit up as he read the sheet of paper in Greg's hand.

"We have a winner. The print matches the second blood sample from Cyan's house. It looks as if this guy has been living under a rock. He's got no record and the only reason he's even in our system is probably because he's a tech over at Desert Palms" Greg explained

"Good, let's get someone over there to pick this guy up." Gil said pulling out his cell phone

Dialing rapidly, he punched in Jim's number and waited while it rang. He was a bit surprised when no one answered but kept calling.

Jim was awakened by the shrill sound of his cell ringing and as he fumbled for it, he heard Cyan speak.

"Its 04:00. Who's calling." she asked

"Oh, I'm sorry, is Jim there?" Gil asked

Rolling over and plopping the small phone on Jim's chest, she snuggled closer and placed a peck of a kiss on Jim's cheek. She ran her fingernails through his chest hair while Jim took the call.

"Brass." he said sleepily

"Jim, this is Gil. We have a positive ID on the mystery man"  
"Really? Who is it?" Jim asked, sitting up in bed

As Jim sat up in bed, Cyan attempted to hold him down, in a loving sort of way, but he tapped her hand and made it known that the matter was urgent. Rolling over, she pouted as Jim carried on with his conversation.

"What's the guy's name"  
"Astor Alcott. He's a tech over at Desert Palms." Gil stated

"We're sending someone over to pick him up now. But,  
Jim..."

"Yeah?" he asked, sitting a bit straighter and turning on the bedside lamp

"I don't believe we're gonna find him. He left me a note saying he needed a vacation"  
"Agh, shit. I'll be there in half an hour." Jim replied, flying out of bed

Rummaging through his closet, he pulled out a rugby shirt and a pair of jeans. Hastily jumping into them he looked around for a pair of trainers. Finding them under his bed, he went without socks as he sat on the bedside and fiddled with his laces. Sensing the urgency, Cyan sat up and asked after the matter.

"They identified the guy." Jim said flatly

"That's good, and you're going back to the office"  
"The sooner we get this guy, the sooner we can prosecute him." he replied

Turning on the lamp by her side of the bed, she sat up and placed a hand on Jim's shoulder. Looking over at her, he offered a half grin and sighed. Swallowing hard, she peeled back her covers. Kneeling in front of him and helping him with his knotted laces, she looked up into his frustrated face while she undid the knots.

"He's around 6 foot, jet black hair, green eyes, average build and he's got a tattoo on the back of his left hand" she explained

Jim stared at her for a brief moment and when he did manage to speak, his tones were soft but assertive.

"Is there anything else you remember?" he asked

"Oh, yeah, I bit him; hard." she replied, smiling a bit

"You bit him? Where"  
"On the left hand. I tasted blood, so I know I broke the skin. It was in the bedroom when he came up behind me. He put his hand over my mouth and I managed to shift some of his digits. That's where the second sample of blood came from; it's his" she said

Leaning over, Jim wrapped his arms around her and hugged her for dear life, whispering to her.

"Get dressed. I'm taking you to the lab"  
"That's ok, Jim. I'll be fine." she replied

"No, I'm not leaving you alone here. You're going to the lab where its safer." he asserted

Realizing that Jim would not be dissuaded, she finished his laces and slipped into a pair of his jeans. As she pulled off her shirt while searching for a bra, Jim turned to look at her nearly naked form. Her front and back were covered in bruises and welts as well as scratches. He tried to shake the images of her being attacked from his head, but the more he tried, the more he became infuriated. Turning around and throwing her hands up in frustration, Cyan growled.

"I can't find my friggin bra."

Frozen and staring at her magnificent breasts, Jim was momentarily speechless. She smiled at him and chuckled.

"Earth to Cappie"  
"Huh, what"  
"Stop gawking." she said laughing

"Oh, I'm sorry"  
"No you're not." she replied

"I need a bra and I can't find it"  
"Oh, there's one in the dryer." he said, jumping up

Returning seconds later, he handed her one of the lacy numbers that he had picked up the previous day and as she struggled with the clasps, Jim helped her. The thoughts that went through his mind at that moment were less than pure as he envisioned what it would feel like to cup her perfectly round and ample bosom in his hands, but as this was no real time to be thinking such thoughts, he blinked them out of his head and picked up her shirt, holding it ready for her to slip into.

During the drive to the lab, Jim called Gil and as the phone rang, he looked over at Cyan who was busy fiddling with the bandages on her fractured wrist. Reaching into the glove box, she pulled out a pen and slid it under the bandages, scratching her hand. Finally, Gil picked up.

"Gil, is there anyone at the lab"  
"Yeah, Greg is there. Why?" he asked, confused

"Ok, I'm dropping Cyan off. I want him to keep her company until we're done." Jim asserted

"Ok, I'll let him know." Gil replied, hanging up

Moments later, they pulled up in front of the lab and Jim and Cyan hopped out. Heading inside, Jim showed her to the break room where Greg was seated on the couch reading an issue of National Geographic. Looking up, he saw Jim motion to him, directing him to meet him in the hall. Handing the magazine to Cyan, Greg stood and followed Jim into the corridor. Placing his hand on the young man's shoulder, Jim looked directly into his eyes and whispered.

"Until we get back, the care and well being of that woman is your mission in life. Unless she goes to the bathroom, I want you with her at all times. Is that understood?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, we'll find something to do." Greg assured him

"Good. We'll be back in a bit." Jim said, turning back to the break room

Cyan was still seated on the couch flipping through the magazine as Jim came back in and sat beside her. Taking her hand in his, he turned to face her and gave a lopsided grin.

"Greg, here, is going to keep you company until I get back." Jim said

"I appreciate your concern, Jim, but I really don't need a babysitter." she protested

"Don't think of me as a babysitter, but more like your shadow." Greg said, grinning heavily

"Well, since you put it that way"  
"Good, then let's make some trouble." he replied, taking her hand and dragging her from the room

Jim watched with a smile as Greg and Cyan walked down the hall towards DNA. He fished out his cell phone and dialed Gil as he walked out of the lab and back to his car. He had just climbed back in when Grissom picked up.

"Gil, where are you?" he asked

"We're at the hospital. Where are you"  
"I just dropped Cyan off at the lab. Greg's playing keeper"  
"Good. They should have fun, then." Gil commented

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, turning the ignition

Pulling out onto the main road, he reissued his question.

"Gil, what do you mean"  
"Oh, just that I know they're similar in age and interests, that's all"  
"Oh, ok. Anyway, I'll be there in a few minutes. Is he there?" Jim asked hastily

"We don't know. We're waiting on you." Gil replied

"Ok, I can see your lights now." Jim said, hanging up

Pulling up right in front of the hospital, Jim checked his weapon and climbed out. As he met up with Grissom, Nick and Sara, Jim fielded questions about Cyan and her state.

"How's she doing, Jim?" Sara enquired

"She's fine. She's with Greg." he replied

"Why'd you bring her out?" Nick asked

"Better safe than sorry. Gil, can I talk to you?" he asked, steering Gil away from the rest of the group

Out by the bushes in front of the building, Brass told Gil what Cyan had told him.

"She said he's around 6 feet with jet black hair and green eyes. He's of average build with a tattoo on his left hand."

"What made her tell you?" Gil asked

"I don't know, but she said she bit him, too. She bit him on the left hand. She said she drew blood and that's where the second sample was from." he explained

"That's good, Jim. At least we have something to go on, now."

Heading inside, Jim and Gil came to stand with the others at the nurse's station. Jim pulled out his badge and asked after the on call chief of staff. As the nurse picked up a nearby phone, everyone chatted amongst themselves.

"So, how's she coping"  
"She's doing pretty well for someone that was just attacked." Jim replied

"That's good. So, she's in good spirits, then?" Sara asked

"Yeah, this afternoon, she woke up on the floor laughing her ass off"  
"That's good to hear." Nick commented

Just then, the ranking doctor appeared and approached the group. Pulling his badge back out, Jim spoke up. Squaring his shoulders and widening his stance, Jim projected an image of authority and respect as he questioned the physician.

"We're with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. We're looking for a guy named Astor Alcott. Does he work here?" Jim asked

"He's no longer employed by this institution. He was terminated a couple of days ago." the doctor explained

"What, if you don't mind, were the conditions of his termination?" Gil asked, hobbling closer

"He was caught pilfering from the pharmacy. He was turned out immediately"  
"Would you happen to know his whereabouts?" Jim enquired

"Last I heard, he had moved back to California."

Turning to Grissom, Jim frowned. Not missing a beat, Grissom asked another question.

"Can we see his locker"  
"Sure, it's this way." Doc said, leading them to the lounge

In the lounge, there was a row of lockers against the wall. Kits in hand, Nick and Sara began to process it while Gil and Jim chatted back and forth. Nick and Sara had found several good prints and when they had finished, they closed up their kits and stood ready to leave.

Back at the lab, Cyan was getting kind of stir crazy, since she and Greg had not really found anything to occupy themselves. Finally, she got an idea. Taking Greg by the hand, lacing their fingers together, she led him out of the lab and to the parking lot.

"Let's go for a walk." she said

"Are you sure you're up to it?" he asked

"Its either that or sedate me, man." she replied

Hand in hand, Greg and Cyan walked down the street and towards the strip. They had just reached the MGM Grande when Cyan stopped in her tracks. Looking over at her, Greg was a bit confused.

"What's the matter?" he asked

"We're being followed. I can feel it. Tell me what you see. Do a quick visual sweep; no more than a few seconds." she directed

As Greg turned around, he saw lots of things. He saw winners and losers alike. He saw men wearing advertisement boards on their fronts and backs. He saw a meter maid issuing tickets and he saw a man standing by a newspaper vending machine looking as if he was reading. Turning back to her, he said that he didn't see anything suspect. Continuing down the promenade, they kept close to each other and after a couple of blocks, they stopped again; and again, Greg did a sweep.

"I see the same guy from last time. He's got a newspaper, but now he's standing around doing nothing"  
"What does he look like?" she asked

"He's about 6 foot, black hair, average build and he's got a bandage on his left hand." he explained

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her cell phone and called Grissom. While waiting for him to pick up, she saw Astor out of the corner of her eye. Just then, Gil picked up.

"Grissom"  
"Gil, this is Cyan"  
"Oh, you want Jim"  
"Um, no. Greg and I are on the promenade in front of Caesar's and we're being followed." she explained "By who"  
"As if you need to ask. He wasn't at hospital, he was waiting for me to come into the open." she stated "Who is he to you, and tell me everything." Gil demanded

Jim looked at Grissom and as they turned onto the strip, Gil's expression changed as he listened to Cyan.

"He's an ex of mine. I thought I'd lost him back in DC, but he found me. We're right in front of Caesar's."

"Where, I can't see you." Gil shouted

In an attempt to create a display to be recognized by Grissom, Cyan took Greg by his shirt collar and kissed him on the lips. Caught off guard, Greg was not exactly sure what to do, but having been lost in the moment, he placed his hand at the base of her neck and tilted her chin up to maximize the kiss. Her good hand still held the cell phone as she and Greg carried on.

Driving slowly, Jim watched traffic as he listened to Grissom's side of the conversation. Finally, Grissom called out.

"There, the couple kissing. Stop the truck, Jim." Gil demanded

"Why? Its a bit late to people watch." Jim joked

"No, its Cyan and Greg. They're being followed. They're the ones kissing." he shouted

"Why are they kissing?!?" Jim asked in harsh tones

"I couldn't see them. They needed me to see them." he replied, hopping out

Hobbling up to them, Gil had to virtually pull Greg from Cyan. As they separated, he caught his breath and blinked his eyes several times. Clueless as to what was going on, Jim just stood by and watched as Gil and Cyan spoke.

"He's back by the Bellagio. 6 feet, black hair and bandage on his left hand." she explained

"You mean he was waiting for you to leave the lab?" Gil demanded "Evidently."

Jim listened to her description and as he looked around, he spotted the man. Turning to her, he snapped.

"Black pants and hooded shirt?" "Yeah, that's him." she replied

No sooner had the words escaped her lips that Jim and Nick walked towards Astor. Having made them as cops, he dropped his paper and ran. Nick and Jim gave chase, all the while shouting that they were with the police department to people that they were bumping into and nearly knocking over. Watching as the two chased after Astor, Cyan leaned against the side wall of a bus kiosk.

Grissom questioned her as to her relationship with him. They found a bench and sat down. Grissom took her hand in his and softly stroked the back of it with his thumb as she spilled.

"We dated for a little while back in DC, but he started to creep me out, so I broke it off. He started following me, so I moved out here. I haven't heard anything from him in over six months, so I figured he was gone, but when he attacked me the other day, he said that I was his and that I always would be." she explained

"Ok, I understand that, but why was he killing dealers and leaving us clues? I mean, he knew me and even left me messages. What do I have to do with this?" he asked, confused

"Just before we broke up, I was reading an article you wrote for Applied Psychodynamics in Forensic Pathology and how various types of insects present themselves at a corpse during the decaying process. He must have gotten it out of a friend of mine that I moved out here and put two and two together. He's no idiot. And as for the dealers, his younger brother died of an overdose when he was around 15. Since then, he's had it in for drugs and dealers." she continued

Just then, Gil's phone rang and as he fished it out of his pocket, Greg took over with the hand holding. They could hear Grissom getting heated over his conversation.

"What do you mean you lost him? How could you lose him? Ok, where are you, we'll pick you up."

Standing up and piling into the truck, Sara drove to the intersection of Tropicana and Las Vegas Boulevard. Just as they came to a stop, Jim and Nick came running up to the truck. As there was little room in the back seat, Sara popped the boot and Nick jumped in, slamming it closed behind him. They drove back to the lab and when they arrived, they all hopped out and headed inside, save for Jim and Greg.

Out front, Jim could be seen shouting at Greg, and as the skinny young man tried to defend himself, Jim only became more animated.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Jim shouted

"She said she wanted to go for a walk. You told me to stay with her." he stated

"I also told you that her care and safety was on your shoulders. I swear..." he yelled, walking away

Inside, Cyan and Grissom were in his office and as Gil sat at his desk, he noticed that his voice mail indicator was blinking on his desk phone. Picking it up, he depressed the button and listened to the simple message. After listening to it a couple times, he pressed speaker phone and placed the handset back in the cradle. Everyone listened to the message.

"I just wanted to say see you later." came the voice

"Is that your ex?" Gil asked

"He's your ex?" Jim asked, shocked


	7. Chapter 7

Yes, I know that some of the actions exhibited in this chapter are a bit on the uncharacteristic side, but that's the fun and beauty if fan fic isn't it; the ability to bend these characters to your every whim.  
------------------ 

Looking up at Jim and seeing the hurt and confused look on his face, Cyan's heart sank within her chest. She knew she'd have to tell him eventually, but this was not the way she wanted him to find out about her relationship to this guy. But since the proverbial cat was out of the bag now, she swallowed hard and explained the situation.

"Part of me hoped it wasn't him. He's never killed before, at least not that I know of. I knew he wasn't running on all cylinders but, I guess deep down, I didn't think he was capable of murder."

"Why didn't you say something before?" Jim asked in terse tones

"I never meant for you to find out this way, Jim." she said, her eyes tearing

Placing his hurt aside, Jim sat in the chair next to her and placed his hand on her knee. Looking into her eyes, he offered a slight grin.

"That's ok, we'll deal with it later. Right now, our number one priority is to find this guy and get him behind bars." he said coolly

"Not to discourage you guys or anything, but if he doesn't want to be found, my guess is that you'll never see him again. He's very good at blending in." she replied

"Well, that's what we do for a living; we find people and we solve puzzles." Nick stated

"Yeah, but he's been at this for over a week here, and all you guys had before I gave his description was his tattoo. The only reason you know what he looks like is because I told Jim. I hate to be the doomsayer, but he won't resurface until and unless he feels so inclined" she explained

Standing up and leaving the room, Cyan walked down the hall to the lady's room. Standing in front of the long mirror above the sinks, she splashed cold water on her face and glared at her reflection. The image that looked back at her was one of deceit and dishonesty. She hated holding back information from Jim, but at the same time, she didn't want to say something and have it turn out not to be true. The tears that ran down her face at this point were those of hurt and pain; not of physical pain, mind you, but of emotional pain.

Leaning against the partition between the locker room and the lavatory, Sara cleared her throat to announce her presence. Whipping her head around, Cyan looked at Sara and turned her back to the sink to lean on it. Approaching her and taking a paper towel, Sara handed it to Cyan and leaned next to her, her arms folded across her chest.

"He's pissed, isn't he"  
"Not so much pissed, as hurt. But I think he understands. You didn't want to say anything and create false leads." she replied

"That's exactly it. That's all you guys would have needed was to be chasing air"  
"Well, I think you'll find that Jim's a very understanding man. He really seems to like you, and when he likes you, it takes a lot to make that go away." Sara stated

"You really think he likes me?" Cyan asked

"Well, let's think about it this way, he endured disco music to be with you, he sat at your bedside almost the entire time you were in hospital and he gave up his gun for you. I'd say that he likes you a lot."

Not saying anything in response, Cyan just paced back and forth as Sara watched. After a few minutes, there was a knock at the closed and locked bathroom door. Turning and opening it, Sara saw Jim standing in the hall, hands in his pockets and embarrassed look on his face.

"Is it safe?" he asked simply

"Yeah, I think so." Sara replied, slipping past him

Jim stepped inside and closed and locked the door behind him and as he approached Cyan who was still at the sinks, he offered a lopsided sort of smile and wrapped her in a hug. His chin on her shoulder, Jim whispered in her ear.

"I know why you didn't say anything. And believe me, the less confusion, the better." he said,  
hugging her close

"I'm so sorry, Cappie. If I'd known for fact that it was him, believe me, I would have said something sooner. I guess you're upset with me, huh?"

"Not at all. It took a lot of guts for you to come back home and even more to have kept the guy waiting while Griss and I could find you." he said lovingly

Jim drew her even closer to him and wrapped her in a tighter full body embrace. As her ear was pressed to his chest, Cyan could hear Jim's strong and steady heartbeat. It was like a well oiled machine, constant and thrumming.

"As for that lip lock with Sanders earlier"  
"I'm so sorry about that, Jim..." she attempted

"Don't worry about it. I know it was just for show." he replied, placing his index finger under her chin and drawing her lips to his

That's when they kissed; in the women's room, door locked and the two of them pressed up against the wall, Jim putting his weight on her. As his right hand slid up her thigh and he raised her leg from behind her knee, she drew his face closer to hers to deepen their kiss. One hand braced up against the mirror in front of him, Jim thrust his pelvis forward and when Cyan groaned a low deep groan, Jim realized just how excited he had allowed himself to become. Reaching down with her good hand, she rubbed the length of his rock hard shaft and whispered.

"Well, Shabat Shalom." she said, looking down at her full hand

Making to undo his belt buckle, she fumbled with her one good hand and after a few good tugs it came undone. With her thumb and index finger, she deftly unbuttoned his jeans and as the zipper fell on it's own, they dropped to his feet in a pile of faded and worn cotton denim. Lifting her up and seating her on the edges of two sinks, Jim undid her jeans and shimmied her out of them. Grasping her firm buttocks with one hand and exposing his rather large manhood with the other, Jim sought approval in Cyan's eyes and as he gazed into her pools of blue/green, he had his answer.

Granted, when he thought of them making love for the first time, their location was about as far from the Crime Lab Women's bathroom as one could get. He had envisioned the two of them in front of a roaring fire in his living room with a bottle of wine and the smell of pine and all spice in the air. He didn't know why the smell of Christmas would be in the air, but, there it was, regardless.

Between heavy, oxygen hungry breaths, Cyan opened her eyes and stared into those of Jim. Right at this moment his eyes were a very dark shade of blue, but at the same time, very bright, almost like sunlight shining through a pane of stained glass in a church. Her head thrown back and her good hand on his waist, she pulled him closer to her centre just as he freed himself from his terribly restrictive boxer shorts. Looking down and seeing the proof of his amour, she gasped.

"Oh, my. What big...Ooooh,...Ahhhhh,...Sssssss." she attempted

Her words were cut off by the sensations she felt as Jim entered her right there on top of the sink. As her tightness surrounded him, Jim grasped her in both of his arms and hugged her to him, continuing to thrust forward with vigor. His face was buried in the crook of her neck and as he sucked at the tender flesh, he could taste a hint of iron. Opening his eyes and looking at his reflection in the mirror, Jim felt an odd sort of confidence. Here he was, in his early 50's making furious love to a woman not yet even out of her 20's. And the thing of it was, that she seemed to want him as badly as he wanted her, and this was a whole lot.

Turning themselves sideways, Jim whispered into Cyan's ear.

"Take a look, honey."

Opening her eyes and looking over at the mirror, she could see their reflections, and as much as seeing this had given Jim an ego boost of sorts, it made something within her click and as she gazed, she could feel it welling up from within her. Nibbling on his ear, she whispered to him.

"The benches or the table by the window?"

Taking a couple of seconds to weigh his options, Jim settled.

"The table." he hissed, walking the two of them into the locker room

He still cradled her in his strong grasp as he shuffled them over to the table by the window as quickly as he could. It had been quite some time since Jim had done anything like this, which is to say that the last several times he had been with a woman, there was a bed involved, but here with Cyan, he was feeling a bit bolder and a whole lot more physically capable, however, truth be told, his back was beginning to scream, so he was a bit relieved that she was willing to take over.

Backing up to the long grey table, Jim took notice of Cyan's physical cues and let her hold him in her hands, so to speak. The table was cold to the touch, but this, in no way, diminished the physical manifestations of his feelings for her. On his back, Jim looked over at the mirror behind the table and gazed at the reflection of he and Cyan in the throes of passion. She rode him like a horse, in every sense of the metaphor. Her hips gyrating and her head thrown back in ecstasy, she closed her eyes and let her mind wander to all the naughty places that she dared not go before now.

Reaching up with his hands, Jim cupped each breast and with his thumbs, rubbed the nipples until they were erect and hard. Leaning forward at his waist, he took one nipple between his teeth and lightly nibbled as he rubbed the other with his open palm. Sucking the nub between his lips and teeth again, he groaned a low groan that made Cyan open her eyes and look down at him.

"Having fun, are we?" she asked in a soft whisper

"Oh, boy, howdy." he replied

And with that, she kicked into overdrive and with every thrust of her hips, she buried Jim deeper and deeper within her, hitting that one, very special spot again and again. Her hands braced at either side of Jim's head, she dipped her head down to capture Jim's lips with hers and as their tongues probed each other's mouths, Jim reached up and held her face pressed to his. Her face held by one of his hands, he reached down with his free hand and held her centre to his.

As her pace quickened, Jim reached down and with his thumb, began to stroke her until she threw her head back and began to moan. Her groans got louder and louder and as Jim remembered where they were, he pulled her down on top of him, her face buried in the crook of his neck. Continuing to stroke as she thrust, Jim could feel himself nearing the edge and as he came closer and closer, his strokes became more and more frantic.

Jim's eyes were fixed on their reflections in the mirror and as he came, he saw spots in front of him; lots of tiny little white spots. Unable to bear it any longer, he closed his eyes and let his mind swim with all the thoughts and pleasures that he had been dreaming about since just after meeting this extraordinary young woman. Looking down and seeing the look on Jim's face, he looked like he was in some sort of pain, however, his groans and his actions were to the contrary. Finally, just after Jim, Cyan slammed her eyes shut and her head spun around and around as she strained to keep her focus on the strapping man between her legs. Opening his eyes, Jim whispered to her.

"Open your eyes, sweetheart. Look at us."

Turning her head and opening her eyes slightly, Cyan saw their bodies in the mirror and with her last ounce of concentration, she held their reflections in her mind's eye. Jim, being spent, held Cyan to him as the tail end of her orgasm ripped through her body, sending her into an almost full body shiver.

They lay there, on the table, still joined, for a few moments and just as they made to get up,  
she hissed again. Not quite sure what was going on, Jim asked after her.

"What's the matter"  
"Oooh, don't do that." she hissed as Jim shifted beneath her

"Damn, another one?" he asked

Not waiting for her to answer, he flipped her over onto her back and as he kissed her about the face and neck, he felt himself rising, once again. The one session was fairly incredible, in that he hadn't realized that he was in such good shape, but now that he was aroused again, and so soon after, he was less concerned with the duration, but more with making her climax again.

Braced above her and gazing down at her as she thrashed her head about, Jim smiled wide and dipped his head down, planting a big fat kiss right on her slightly swollen lips. Never before had she had an experience such as this. She had had orgasms that piggy backed themselves before, but never this close to one another. She had not even completely recovered from the first one and now that this second one was washing over her, she squeezed her eyes shut and bit her tongue in an effort to remain quiet.

Moments later, as they were gathering their clothing and getting dressed, a knock came at the door. From the other side, Jim heard a voice.

"Come on you guys. I gotta pee and I'm not about to use the men's room. Do you have any idea how nasty it is in there?"

Taking a quick look over at Cyan, Jim grinned.

"I guess we took longer than I'd realized." he quipped

"Ok, Cath. Keep your pants on"  
he shouted

Realizing the gravity of his words, Jim blushed. Hastily buckling his belt and helping Cyan with her bra and shirt, he placed a tender kiss on her forehead and smiled. Now completely dressed and done up as well as they could, Jim unlocked the door and ushered Cyan out in front of him. Not waiting for Jim to exit the lavatory, Catherine breezed by him and shut herself into one of the stalls at the end of the row.

Back in Grissom's office, Grissom, Nick, Sara and now Greg sat around talking amongst themselves.  
As Jim and Cyan walked down the hall, Nick looked down at his watch, fished in his front jeans pocket, pulled something out and handed it to Sara, who was grinning from ear to ear. Turning quickly, she alerted Grissom et al to the two of them coming down the hall. As Jim and Cyan entered the office, everyone went out of their way to avoid eye contact and Greg even began whistling some random tune.

Jim and Cyan stood in the doorway and when Grissom finally looked up, his face was flushed and he had an odd sort of expression on his face. He looked down at his watch but said nothing as the two of them sat down on the small couch and just folded their hands in their laps. Sitting silent and not saying anything, Jim and Cyan lust looked from one person to the other, waiting for someone to say something. After a few very awkward moments of silence, Grissom looked over at Cyan and rubbed his neck just below his left ear. However, since she had no idea that she had a love bite and Jim was seated on her right side, she made no connection between Gil's motions and what he was trying to say.

Just then, Cyan's cell phone went off and as she patted her pockets in search of it she cursed under her breath. Finding it, she flipped it open and addressed the caller.

"Cyan, here."

The expression on her face changed from one of contentment to one of fear and horror within those few brief seconds that she was on the phone. She said nothing, save for her name, and dropped the phone. Picking it up, Jim held it to his ear as he mouthed his question to her. Saying nothing, but just staring at the phone wide eyed, she sat, frozen, as Jim addressed the caller.

"To whom am I speaking?" he asked

The caller said nothing and just hung up. Fortunately, Jim had the fortitude to check the caller ID and get the caller's number that way. He snatched a piece of scrap paper from Gil's desk and scribbled down a number. Handing the paper to Nick, Jim asked him to see if he could find the location of the number. As Nick disappeared down the hall, Grissom stood up and as he approached Cyan, he leaned in.

"You've got a bug bite right here." he said, gently stroking her neck with his index finger

Lightly touching her neck where Grissom had just rubbed, her skin was a bit sore, but in no way painful. Since she was wearing a t-shirt, she could not cover up the evidence of her and Jim's affection, so she wandered down to DNA and pulled a large band-aid from the cabinets above the sink on the wall. Looking in the mirror, she saw Jim come up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist. Leaning her head back to rest on his shoulder, she chuckled.

"This is your fault, you know"  
"Yeah, well, I didn't hear you complaining at the time." he replied

"No, I was to busy trying not to scream. That's the first time I've done that at work, you know?  
Even though I don't work here anymore, I still feel guilty as hell." she explained

"Yeah, well, I do work here and I can just imagine the scuttlebutt." Jim said, affixing her band-aid

Turning her in his arms, Jim just hugged her as tight as he could and still breathe. After a few moments they separated and just in time, too, as Greg took that opportunity to come sashaying through the door. Catching the two in a semi-awkward moment, Greg just pretended like he didn't see anything and went on about his business.

In the A/V lab, Nick was running an inactive trace on the number that Jim had written down and just as Jim and Cyan walked in, he got his results. Looking over at them and grinned heavily.

"It was a pay phone over on Flamingo"  
"Thanks, Nick." Jim replied

Back in the locker room, Catherine and Grissom were chatting away, and as Jim and Cyan came upon the doorway to the locker room, part of the conversation could be heard.

"They were in here for an hour, man. I can only imagine what they were doing." she said

"Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea what they were doing." Grissom replied

"Ugh, Gil. I really don't want those kinds of images in my head right now, or ever, in fact" she stated

Smiling to themselves, Jim and Cyan made their presence known. As Jim cleared his throat, Grissom and Catherine looked up, their faces flushed. Holding her hand, Jim motioned to he and Cyan.

"Hey, we're gonna head home. I'm off tomorrow, so we'll see you in a couple of days"  
"Ok, you two have fun and don't hurt yourselves." Grissom joked

In the car on the way home, Jim and Cyan had their hands joined at the fingers and as they drove through the brightly lit lights of Main Street, Cyan shifted her hand so that it was on his upper thigh. She could feel the tension of the denim of his jeans as they fought to contain his ever growing erection. She slowly separated their hands and rubbed his thigh in an almost absentminded manner, just rubbing circles with her finger tips. Working her way up his thigh and towards his crotch, she could tell that he was aroused again, so she unbuckled herself, leaned over, and looked up at Jim who was trying his best to concentrate on the road ahead of him.

Much to Cyan's pleasure, there was construction going on, so they were delayed by a lot. Glad that his windows were tinted, Jim just let his head fall back on the headrest and the lovely woman next to him unbuckled his belt from his jeans and unzipped his zipper, releasing his enormous erection. Before doing anything further, she looked up at him again and uttered one single word.

"Ready?"

And to this, Jim's reply was a very simple "Oooooh Yeeeeeah!" in deep throaty tones.

Taking him in one hand, she ran her tongue along the underside of his shaft and cupped his scrotum with the other. As the sensations flowed through Jim, it was all he could do not to slam in to the car in front of him. He looked down at his lap and as her head bobbed up and down, he ran his strong hands through her hair, wrapping her curls around his fingers.

Just then, the traffic began to move and as Jim tried to negotiate his way through the construction area, he attempted to place his thoughts elsewhere. She was applying an immense amount of suction at this point and Jim was more or less seeing crosseyed as he felt the beginnings of his climax coming upon him. Grabbing the steering wheel and white-knuckling it, he called out as he came. Taking a few last good laps, she removed any and all traces of his ejaculation and gently tucked him back inside his jeans.

Sitting up and buckling herself back in, Cyan just grinned as Jim looked at her quizzically. Smiling back at him, she took his free hand and placed a small kiss on the back of it. Jim was in no way a stranger to having sexual relations in unconventional places, but he had never been given such attention while he was driving. For all his wanting, he was very glad that he was able to enjoy Cyan's attentions and not get into an accident at the same time. Gazing over at him, she noted the look of whimsy on his face right then.

"What's the matter, you never had a "Blow on the Go"?" she asked

"No, never. But I must say that I'm impressed by your enthusiasm these last few hours. If tonight was any indication, I think you're gonna land me in the hospital." he said, chuckling

"I would never knowingly endanger you, Cappie. You're a good man, and a good man should never go to waste." she replied

Jim just grinned and continued their drive home. As they pulled into the drive in front of his house, Jim leaned over and placed a kiss on Cyan's cheek. Unbuckling themselves, they hopped out and made their way up the front steps and as Jim fished through his pockets for his keys, Cyan bounced from one foot to the other.

"What's your problem?" Jim asked

"I gotta pee, man, Open up." she demanded

No sooner had the door opened, than she flew inside and made a bee line right for the master bathroom. It was 07:00hrs and as Jim slipped out of his jeans, shoes and shirt, Cyan was brushing her teeth and washing her face. By the time she had finished, Jim was going around to the alarms in the house turning them off. He had just shut off the one in the bedroom when she came out into the bedroom. She was wearing a t-shirt and nothing else, and as Jim tried to control himself, he could feel the beginnings of another erection. Not since he was a teen-ager had he had so many erections in a 24 hour period, not that he was complaining, it was just that it was sort of awkward for him, as an adult, to have this sort of reaction to a woman. Even at Heather's Domain, he was never aroused in the same way as he was now. Heather, for all her femininity and propriety, was, for lack of a better term, just for shits and giggles. But Cyan was different, she was young and vibrant as well as polite and intellectual. But her charm and attraction lay within her heart and spirit, to which, Jim was very much attracted. She had a way of being dead serious and within the time span of an instant, she would turn around and tell one of the funniest, dirtiest jokes you'd ever heard.

As she crawled under the covers and sank into the warm folds of the cotton flannel sheets, Jim took care of his business in the bathroom. Having relieved himself and brushed his teeth, he came out and as he looked over at the young woman in his bed he smiled. In the few minutes that had passed while he was in the bathroom, she had fallen asleep. As Jim gazed at her sleeping form, he realized just how truly precious she was to him.


	8. Chapter 8

Borrowed: Over the Rails & The Last Great Hollywood High-Remy Zero

-------------

When Cyan woke it was around noon and as she looked over to the man sleeping next to her, she grinned heavily. Jim had a way of looking completely and totally at peace when he slept, and this was a sight that she enjoyed seeing. It was in sharp contrast to the "Go, go, go" Brass that he was at work. When he was at home, he was kicked back and relaxed like he was on some sort of vacation. She liked to think that she might have something to do with this, but she knew better. A person doesn't all of a sudden exhibit new behaviours, they just let dormant characteristics surface, and it seemed as though this was what Jim was doing.

Cyan carefully climbed out of bed and made her way to the living room to do some work. Standing at the kitchen counter, she made a fresh pot of coffee and as she waited for it to finish, she got an idea. She knew that she still had some stuff from her move out here to Vegas and that maybe there was something in the boxes in the attic of her house that might help Grissom et al with their case. Slipping into a pair of Jim's trainers, she scribbled down a note and left it on his bedside table. Looking down at Jim as he slept, she kissed him softly on the head and left for her house.

Standing in the open doorway, Cyan felt a chill run up her spine as she gazed at the remains of her crime scene. Remnants of the broken vase were still on the floor as well as the dried blood in her bedroom. Standing in the hall, she pulled down the retracting stairs and climbed into the attic. Turning on the dangling light bulb, she looked around for the boxes she thought of earlier. Finally, in the far corner of the area, she saw them; four boxes, taped up and sealed. Taking a flashlight in hand, she crawled over to the boxes and with a lock back knife, she slit the tape.

Inside, she could see some of her old military paperwork as well as some photos of her in uniform as well as other photos of her on various posts. There was England, Germany, Japan, Australia and a vacation she had taken to Ireland a few years back. Pictures of her and some comrades in several pubs and her favourite photos; her and some of her girlfriends at Castle Neuschwanstein. Closing this box and sliding it towards the stairs, she watched as it disappeared from sight and came to a thud on the floor beneath.

Opening another box, she sat Indian style and sifted through the contents. As before, this box had paperwork and other photos, including one group from when she snuck a digital camera onto the artillery range. There was also one from the confidence course when they were using the element of scorched earth. There was dirt and leaf litter flying everywhere and at the top of a very high stilt post, there she stood, training weapon in hand and a very large grin on her face. Thinking back, she loved her time in service and as she sat, spacing out in the attic, she allowed herself to drift.

(MEMORY)

"Go, go, go. Run, Yanni, kick em' up"  
"Yeah, easy for you to say, you don't have a 75lb radio strapped to your back."

Cyan and some of her colleagues ran through the forest and as dirt flew everywhere, they ducked, rolled and evaded. The reason; the capture the flag ritual. They had already taken five members of "red" team prisoner and as they shuffled along through the dense underbrush, Cyan spotted something off. One of the prisoners had managed to free themselves. Dropping her radio, she gave chase and as the escapee ran down a hillside, she took the higher ground and leapt off a rock face, landing on her target. With her prisoner on their belly and she on their back, she pulled out a pair of flexi cuffs and secured them. Yanking them up, Cyan prodded them until they were all back with the group.

After the "flying incident" as it would later come to be known, they all gathered close and posed for a photo. They all stood, weapons at the ready, pointed at the camera and just before the flash went off, they fired. The effect of smoke emanating from the hot barrels in the cool December air was almost like a fantasy. It was one of the happiest times of her life, now almost forgotten.

(END OF MEMORY)

She was snapped back to reality by the sounds of footsteps from within the house. Knowing that she had a gun up there, she rifled through the open box and pulled it out. Cocking it, she sat and waited while the footsteps got closer. Suddenly, they stopped. She could hear shoes landing on the rungs of the ladder and as the shadow drew near, she readied herself. Seeing a hand, she called out.

"You're trespassing, leave now, or you get a new orifice."

Having heard the hammer cock, the visitor spoke up.

"How many guns do you have?" Jim asked

"Ugh, its just you." she replied, setting the gun down next to her

"You don't sound too happy to see me." he said, chuckling

"I was just reminiscing a bit, that's all. There are some great memories in these boxes." she explained

"Well, let's load them up and get back home. This place gives me the creeps. Doesn't it, you"  
"Not really." she said, sliding a box to him

Jim had driven there in the BMW that she had signed over to him. It was a secondary vehicle and since she liked her little Toyota more than the brand new BMW 740 she just gave it to him. It was black with tan leather interior. Truth be told, the car was a bit extravagant and since she was not one to keep expensive gifts, she gave it to the one person she knew would appreciate it the most, also, it was a gift from Sam Braun; an attempt to get her to stay on with him full time. She had accepted the position and said that she didn't need anything, save for a paycheck, health benefits and an unspecified number of vacation days, to all of which Sam agreed on the condition that he be given ample notice when she would be taking said vacation days. Jim was glad she took the position as it would allow them to keep seeing each other and maybe, he thought,  
she was the one; the one he would spend the rest of his life with. As they loaded up the back seat with the boxes, Jim grinned.

"Have I told you how much I love this car"  
"Yes, Jim, you have. Have you named it yet?" she asked

"No, and I don't intend to, either"  
"Ok, fine. Let's get back to your place." she said

"I wish you would stop calling it "your place". Its our place." he growled

"Jim, your hospitality not withstanding, which I appreciate, I agreed to stay with you while I healed up. I think its time I got back to my place. After all, personal space is an integral part of any healthy relationship. No matter the feelings, people still need their space." she explained

"Ok, then." he replied, simply

Back at Jim's house they went through all the boxes and when they came to the last one, Jim stopped. Lifting a strongbox from the larger box, he huffed. Setting it on the floor, he patted it.

"Its locked. You got a key"  
"Yeah." she replied, pulling a key ring from her pocket

Opening the box, she smiled. There were more pictures as well as her most prized possessions; her Sig Sauers. They were beautiful. One was silver, nickel plated with a black rubber grip and the other was flat black and had notches dug into the grip. Seeing the guns, Jim's jaw dropped and he stared. Removing the clip, she handed Jim the black one. Carefully taking it, he turned it over in his hands and trained the sight on his fish tank and Felix and Oscar, his angel fish. Switching the side arm from one hand to the other, he grinned.

"These are the perfect weapons. You know the Navy Seals use these"  
"Yes, I do. If its good enough for the Seals, then its good enough for me." she replied, holding her hand out

Reluctantly, Jim handed over the weapon and watched as she replaced the clip and handed it to him.

"Here. You want it?" she asked, handing the gun back to him

"Are you serious? These are really expensive." he said

"Well, I've got two of them as well as the Baby Glock and a Pistole null acht.  
"A what?" Jim asked, confused

"A P 08"  
"Huh"  
"A Luger."

At the very bottom of the box was a sealed manila envelope that had a rubber stamp on it that read "Eyes Only". Picking it up, she turned it over in her hands and opened it. Pulling several sheets of paper out, she looked them over. Briefly reading them, she sighed and handed them to Jim.

"This is what I was looking for. I knew I had something on him." she stated

"You ran a check on him?" Jim asked, stunned

"Well, not until he pulled out the "crazy card." she replied

"Did you run a check on me, or need I ask"  
"No, I didn't need to. I could tell about you from the get go. You're not crazy, you're perfect."

Blushing heavily, Jim smiled.

"I'll take that as a compliment"  
"As it was intended." she stated

Looking over the papers, Jim grinned heavily.

"Do you mind if I take these to the lab and show them to Grissom?" he asked

"Not at all, that's what I was hoping you'd do"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

In his new car, Jim pulled out his cell phone and dialed Grissom. After a few seconds, he picked up.

"Gil, where are you"  
"I'm at home. Catherine is playing Napoleonic Power Monger. She sent me home, but I've got news for her. I've got a whole stack of paperwork right here in front of me." Gil replied, chuckling

"I'm on my way. Cyan has a file on this guy"  
"She does? How'd she get it"  
"She said she did a search on him after he started getting all crazy. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Fiddling with the radio, Jim settled on a station that would compliment his new car, so he turned the volume up and sang along as the sounds of one of Cyan's favourite groups played loudly.

television is the condition of my connection to the machine

and in its warm glow we watched the flames grow till the bones show

till it stripped you clean well I had it bad we were barely on the screen

with the trips I had swallowed everything except for you

Sitting at a red light a few blocks from Gil's, Jim marveled at how comfortable and utterly stunning his new car was. He thought about the enormous generosity that had been present in the giving of this gift and how Cyan had selflessly given him a 70k plus car. Truth be told, he was a bit unsure about any strings that may have been attached, but in recent days, she had made it clear that if he didn't accept it, she would have just sold it.

Cruising along, Jim realized that Grissom had not yet seen his new car. Jim was very proud of it and had washed it as many times as there had been days since he was given it. With his Buick, he never really thought to baby it, as it was a company car, but this was HIS vehicle and he would take as good care of it as Cyan did him. She catered to him, cooking his meals and cleaning the house almost every day. She turned his bachelor pad into a home, and for this Jim was glad. In no way did she turn it into a girlie house with dust ruffles and such, but made it look like someone actually lived there, which they did.

Pulling up in front of Grissom's apartment, he was surprised to see Gil on the balcony reading a book. Hopping out and looking up to him, he could see the look on Gil's face and grinned, despite himself.

"You like it?" he shouted

"Its...certainly...new." Gil replied

"Come on up."

Climbing the stairs, Jim remembered the anti theft device. Pulling out his keys and pressing the alarm, he grinned when he heard the "blip, blip" of it engaging. Just then Gil's door opened and he stood there, cast and all. Looking down at his friend's foot, he chuckled.

"When did this happen?" Jim asked, pointing to the signatures on his cast

"Yesterday. I fell asleep in the break room and when I woke up, I had been "tagged". he replied

"Vandals." Jim stated

"No shit."

Envelope in hand, Jim entered Gil's home and sat himself down on the couch. Seating himself next to Jim, Gil asked the inevitable.

"So, you must have been very, very good this year to have gotten a new car"  
"Not entirely, no. Cyan got it from Sam Braun and said that if I didn't take it, she'd sell it." he explained "Well, wonders never cease. Now, what have you brought me?" Grissom asked

Jim opened the envelope and pulled out the contents and handed them to Gil. Reading them over, he to smiled.

"Is this valid? I mean, is it current"  
"There's only one way to find out." Jim stated

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Parking in his spot at the lab, Jim got out and held the sliding doors open for Grissom who was a bit slow. Not as slow as he had been, but still slower than Jim. In the halls, they made their way to the A/V lab and to Nick's "baby" as he called it. Sitting down, Grissom realized that he had no idea what he was doing, so he picked up his cell phone and called Nick.

Asleep in his bed, Nick was yanked awake by the shrill sound of his cell phone ringing. Picking it up and flipping it open, he answered.

"Stokes"  
"Nicky, Jim's got a file on this Alcott guy. We need to know how to use your computer here at the lab." he explained

"He's got a file? I'll be right in." he said, hanging up

Crawling out from under the warm covers, Nick jumped into a pair of khaki slacks, a Ramones t-shirt and his boots. Grabbing his keys from the hall table, he flew out of the house and headed for the lab.

In Grissom's office, Jim and Gil talked about Christmas. Gil and Sara had spent the day together and Gil expressed an interest in making things between them more permanent. Jim told Gil about his gift to Cyan and how he thought that she might be "the one", as he put it.

"Are you sure, Jim? I mean, you've only known her for about a month or so"  
"Yeah, well, she's perfect. She's bright, funny and I'm finding it hard to picture my life without her. When I think about what things were like before she came to me, everything is lacking. But since we've been together, its like she breathes life into me. When I wake up, she's the first thought in my mind and when I go to bed, she's the one I want to be with" Jim explained

"Well, it sounds like love to me. I hope you know what you're doing. I mean, given her history and everything." Gil said softly

"That's exactly what it is; history. Don't forget, I've got history, too." Jim replied

Just then, Nick came through the door and poked his head in Grissom's office. He was short of breath and looked like he had been running. Standing up, Gil and Jim exited the room and headed for the A/V lab. Sitting on his perch, Nick took the paperwork from Grissom and began tapping away at the keys. Reading aloud, Nick went over the information as the monitor displayed the results.

"Well, 90036 is the zip code for Los Angeles, California. But that's a big place. Let's see what else we can come up with" Nick said, flipping through the small stack of papers and keying in figures

Taking his glasses off, Nick brought one of the papers closer to his face. Looking from the paper and back to the monitor, he grinned.

"Ok, he's got a post office box on Crenshaw Boulevard. At least that narrows things down a bit. Let's contact the LAPD and get with them on surveillance. Next time he picks up his mail, we'll nab him." he said confidently

In his office, Jim sat at his desk and spoke with a friend of his in the LAPD. Throwing out several expletives, Jim had it out with the man.

"He's killed about half a dozen men out here and now he's in your state. You mean to tell me that you're not in the least bit concerned?" he shouted

Nick stood by the door and listened as Jim shouted back and forth with his caller. Finally, Jim calmed down and waved him in.

"Ok, they're gonna post a man in street clothes outside and a new worker inside. When the guy comes in, they'll nab him and we can extradite. When he gets back here, he'll be prosecuted." Jim explained

"Have you spoken to Cyan about this? How does she feel?" Nick queried

"She's the one that gave me the papers. I assume she'll want this ass locked up and the key to be thrown away." he said

"From your mouth to God's ears." Nick replied

"Yeah, I know. She's a tough nut to crack; very spirited. That's what I love; a woman with spit and spirit." Jim joked

"I'll give her that much. I'd hate to meet her in a dark alley in the middle of the night." Nick chuckled

Standing up and joining Nick in the hall, Jim walked back to Grissom's office and knocked on the jamb. Looking up from his papers, Gil motioned for them to come in and when they did, they sat themselves across from Gil's desk. His hands folded in his lap, Jim relayed the details of his chat with the LAPD.

"So, then when he picks up his mail, they grab him, hold him for us and when he gets back here, we lock him up and throw away the key. Squeaky clean."

"Nothing is ever truly squeaky clean, Jim. There's always some sort of malady. So let's not count our killers before they're caught." Gil said thoughtfully

"Leave it to you to poop all over my parade, Gil"  
"I'm not pooping, I'm being pragmatic, Jim"

Back at Jim's house Cyan was still working on the papers from Sam's charity event from the previous summer when the phone rang. Putting her pencil down, she answered it.

"Brass residence." she said cheerily

"Hey, hun"  
"Hey, Cappie. What's up"  
"I just wanted to let you know we found him. We don't have him yet, but we have a pretty good idea as to where he's gonna surface next." Jim explained

"That's good to know. Hey, what do you feel like for supper?" she asked

"Um, I don't know. Whatever you feel like is fine by me." he replied

"Ok, I'll surprise you, then."

Hanging up the phone, she walked to the kitchen to survey the contents of the fridge. Standing in front of the open door, she kneeled down and shifted around some of the contents to get a better idea as to what she was dealing with. Pulling out some ingredients, she settled on chili. Grabbing a scrap of paper, she scribbled down some things that she needed to pick up from the market and set out on her mission; to make the best chili Jim had ever had.

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

Pushing the buggy down the aisles, she deposited two cans of dark redskin kidney beans, three medium sized cans of whole, peeled tomatoes, a bulb of garlic, three small cooking onions, a pound and a half of lean hamburger meat and a packet of McCormick hot chili seasoning mix. In the freezer aisle, she grabbed a pint of Godiva Belgian Chocolate ice cream and from produce, she snatched up some fresh berries.

By the time Jim returned home the house smelled of chili, a smell Jim had grown to love over the past few weeks. He walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Cyan who was stirring the simmering contents of the rather large pot. Kissing the back of her neck, he smiled and let go of her, turning to go into the master bedroom. He opened his closet and picked up one of his hiking boots, tipping it over. A small jeweler's box fell out and he smiled as he opened it to see the ring within. It was a gold band studded with sapphires and emeralds. He thought the stone combination would look lovely and go well with the colour of her eyes. As much as he wanted to give it to her now, he'd promised himself that he'd wait until Christmas which was only a few weeks away. So, he closed the box and placed it back in the boot and returned it to the closet.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Weeks had passed and on Christmas eve night, as Jim and Cyan sat in front of the tellie watching some random show Jim got up and went into the bedroom for the ring. When he returned, he sat beside her and turned to face her. By this time Jim had wrapped the small box and as he handed it to her, he kissed her cheek and smiled as the clock struck midnight.

"Merry Christmas." he said, handing her the box

Slowly and methodically, she opened it and when she saw the contents she nearly passed out. After a few moments she had composed herself enough to respond to his gift.

"Jim, its beautiful but I can't accept this. I know how much cops make and this must have cost a small fortune."

"Don't worry about the money, hun. I called in a favour and got a deep discount." he replied

Looking down at the ring, Cyan scratched her head.

"So, what exactly does this mean? What strings are attached?" she asked

"The only string attached is that if you accept this ring you have to marry me. I'm getting older by the day and since you came into my life I can't imagine anyone else I'd rather spend the rest of my life with. So will you marry me?"


End file.
